Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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1098. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine the case of a child (details supplied); if she will set out the supports that will be made available to the child and the child’s family to address the child’s lack of a suitable school place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41862/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised. I have forwarded this issue to them for their attention and direct reply.

Deputies are also welcome to raise such queries with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie.

This year the NCSE has sanctioned 407 new special classes for the coming school year bringing to 3,742 the number of special classes in our schools. There are new classes in every county in Ireland and with the number of special classes doubling in the last five years, this now means that there are more classes than ever ensuring greater numbers of children can access places in their local school. Furthermore the number of special class places in our schools will exceed demand.

Combined with 300 new special school places this brings to over 2,700 the number of new school places for children with special educational needs.

This year, the approach taken was to maximise the use of existing accommodation in schools to ensure new special classes could open as quickly as possible for the 2025/26 school year. The NCSE also prioritised schools which did not have an existing special class. ?This has ensured that 80% of the new classes sanctioned are in schools with available accommodation.

Where schools require modular accommodation for new special classes, these projects are being fast-tracked by my department to deliver this accommodation as early as possible. In a small number of instances where a delay in new special class accommodation is expected such as where new modular classrooms are being provided, contingency arrangements are being made with the relevant schools with the support of the NCSE.

The NCSE has advised my department that the vast majority of children seeking a special school or special class place have now been assigned a school place. They are working very closely with the remaining families to ensure that they are being kept updated as the remaining special class and special school places are being finalised by a small number of schools.

Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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1099. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the special education review committee was last reviewed in the context of moderate general learning classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41946/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The report of the Special Education Review Committee was published in November 1993, its purpose as set out in the terms of reference, was to review and make recommendations on the educational provision for children with special educational needs.

While much of the language of the report is outdated, its contents has helped shape the landscape of our special education system over the past 30 years.

As you are aware special classes are established under a particular designation of student need, e.g., Mild/Moderate/Severe to Profound Learning Disability or for particular conditions e.g. Autism or Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Enrolment into these classes is closely linked to its designation. This ensures that these classes continue to meet the needs of the students for which they were intended and for this reason, a diagnosis and/or professional report is required in order for students to be enrolled.

These classes are resourced in line with the Special Education Review Committee's recommendations, in the case of Moderate General Learning Disability classes the student/teacher ratio is 8:1.

This report has since been superseded by updates to policy which are communicated to stakeholders by way of circular letter, legislation such as the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004, which was recently reviewed by my department, and various United Nation conventions which Ireland has ratified. These updates represent developments within special education that are reflective of a modern society.

In 2024, the NCSE published new policy advice on the progressive development of a more inclusive education system where the majority of children with special education needs are supported to attend their local school with their siblings and peers. My department is working to progress a range of measures to make this a reality over the coming years.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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1100. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to assist in securing a place in a primary school autism spectrum unit for a child (details supplied) with a diagnosis of ASD for the 2026-2027 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41962/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised. Deputies are also welcome to raise such queries with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie.

Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally for planning purposes. The NCSE has a dedicated email address parentnotify@ncse.ie with which parents can make initial contact, submit reports and provide consent forms directly. This ensures local special educational needs organiser (SENOs) have complete and up-to-date information when assisting with placements. Parents can also contact their local SENOs directly using the contact information available on the NCSE's website.

In order to support the NCSE and forward planning my department recently published Circular 0039/2025. This circular informs school management and patrons of new measures introduced to support forward planning going forward and reiterates the need for parents to inform the NCSE that they are seeking a special educational placement for their child. An earlier date of 1 October has been set in which parents must do so. This notification will provide the NCSE with valuable insights as to which students will continue to require a special class as they progress to post primary level and details on children who require a place for the first time. The NCSE will be actively communicating this requirement nationally also.

The earlier date will also allow for earlier sanctioning of classes for the 2026/27 school year, and it is the aim of the NCSE to sanction the majority of new special classes by 31 December 2025. My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children for this school year and future years.