Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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183. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will immediately intervene in the case of a child (details supplied) who has been unable to secure an appropriate place in a secondary school for this coming year, despite extensive engagement by the parents with the National Council for Special Education and CDNT teams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54250/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs. It does so through a network of special educational needs organisers (SENOs).

The NCSE has advised my department that the local SENO is working closely with the student’s family regarding options for school placements and other special education supports as required.

2,700 new places have been created for the 2025/26 school year and these, together with the over 1,200 existing places which have become available due to students moving on from primary schools and post primary schools, means that close to 4,000 specialist places were made available. The NCSE advise that a number of these places remain available in each county and are working with families to ensure they are aware where these vacancies remain. Any parent still seeking a specialist placement for this school year should contact the NCSE directly via the details provided on the NCSE's .

The NCSE is now looking at what specialist provision is required for the 2026/27 school year. Parents were asked to contact the NCSE by 1 October 2025 if seeking a placement for the 2026/27 school year. The NCSE is collating the information received through this notify process and will work towards sanctioning new provision for the 2026/27 school year by 31 December 2025.

I would like to stress that the NCSE will continue to support all children made known to them after this date also, however, it is important for planning purposes that an earlier timeframe was set to ensure the NCSE has as much local knowledge and detail as possible in order to plan what new provision is required.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs.