Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

437. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will urgently address the matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57363/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for children with special educational needs.

In order to support the NCSE and forward planning my department published Circular 0039/2025. This circular informs school management and patrons of measures introduced to support forward planning 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 was set for parents to do so.

The earlier date will allow for the 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. It will also allow for work to progress on expanding special school capacity in certain areas.

The NCSE will have a clear picture of the local demand for special class and special school places for the 2026/2027 school year after they review and assess all of the information which has been provided through the parents' notification process which closed on 1 October.

Once the NCSE has fully collated and assessed this information, the NCSE will be in a position to engage with schools across the country to open new special classes. The NCSE will also have due regard to any vacant places in existing special classes in an area and any places that will be become available through the normal movement of children leaving primary or post-primary school.

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 we set an earlier timeframe for which the NCSE has as much local knowledge and detail as possible in order to plan what new provision is required.

In working to develop a more inclusive education system, we want to support students to attend their local mainstream schools. This means that children can be educated with their peers and are not required to travel long distances to attend special schools or classes. The vast majority of students with a special educational needs are supported to to this. 15,000 special education teachers have been provided to achieve achieve this. In practical terms this means schools get a substantial additional teaching allocation to support children with special education needs who are in mainstream classes.

The additional resources are intended to support students with the greatest level of need, including those with a specific learning disability such as dyslexia.

I will ask the NCSE to engage directly with the family as they will continue to support all families coming forward seeking a special class or special school place after the 1st October timeline.