Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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216. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools, including their ethos, who have received suppression of special class notices to date in 2025, including the number of these classes, in tabular form per county; to include those which were due to open for the school year 2025/2026, the maximum capacity of each and the financial expenditure incurred to date in relation to these classes. [38400/25]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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218. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in relation to the special education or ASD classes sanctioned in 2024 and 2025, including those who have received suppression notices, the cost of all forms of consultancy fees associated with each individual sanctioned rooms or classes. [38404/25]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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220. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills where a sanction for a special class has been revoked via a suppression notice, to outline the step by step process, including the key decision makers involved, the engagement with the school, the NCSE and the parents who have enrolled children in these classes for the upcoming school year. [38411/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 216, 218 and 220 together.

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me, my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special class and special school places are provided. This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which promotes that children will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible.

My department works closely with the NCSE on the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. Building on successive budgets, Budget 2025 secured funding for 400 new special classes in mainstream schools, and an additional 300 special school places for the 2025/26 school year. This will deliver 2,700 new places for children. 399 special class have been confirmed by the NCSE for the 2025/26 school year. These will be added to the 3,335 classes in operation nationwide.

My department and the NCSE identify the need for special educational provision with consideration to demographical and statistical data and in regard to an areas existing school provision and future capability. In addition, part of the forward planning process as to where new classes, schools or expansion is required looks at how far students are travelling to access an education appropriate to their needs. This is an important factor which has been incorporated into the decision-making process as to where new classes should open or where classes are no longer required. Significant consideration is also given to the information the NCSE hold at local level on the number of children requiring a specialist placement in a region.

During the planning process a number of schools may be approached to consider opening a special class in their locality. It is preferred that schools with existing accommodation and no existing special class are given preference in this regard. This allows schools to open classes more quickly and also ensures that more schools provide specialist provision providing more diverse options for parents in their local areas.

The NCSE actively encourage expressions of interest from schools to open special classes, however, it is not always possible to open a special class in every school that expresses an interest. The NCSE acknowledge that circumstances may change, and these schools will remain as potential options for future classes.

The NCSE have advised my Department that a small number of special classes that were sanctioned for the coming school year will not now proceed. This is mainly due to a drop off in the expected level of need for these classes. The NCSE have been in ongoing active engagement with these schools and it is expected that these classes may be required for the 2026/2027 school year subject to the local level of need. Additional new special classes have been sanctioned and I have directed a school in Kildare to open 2 special classes under Section 37A of the Education Act 1998. Therefore there still remains just over 400 new special classes being provided for the coming school year.

My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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217. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide the number of Gaelscoileanna that have requested to alter their ethos contrary to the Autism Good Practice Guidance for Schools (details supplied). [38402/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is a priority for this government.?It is also a key priority for me, my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special class and special school places are provided.

Special education teachers provide additional teaching supports to children attending mainstream classes with special educational needs. They do so using a wide variety of teaching approaches. This includes supporting children with special educational needs to access the curriculum, of which Irish is a subject.

In Gaelscoileanna where all subjects are taught in Irish, children with special educational needs are taught through the medium of Irish. In addition, a number of special classes have been established in Gaelscoileanna many children with special educational needs enrol in these schools and are also taught through the medium of Irish.

My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.