Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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228. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider sanctioning an ASD special class in a school (details supplied) for September 2026, considering the significant need demonstrated in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60521/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Through the accelerated provision of additional special class and special school places over recent years, there are now over 30,000 students enrolled in special classes and special schools. 2,700 new places were created for the 2025/26 school year and these, together with the over 1,200 existing places due to students moving on from primary schools and post-primary schools, has meant that close to 4,000 specialist places were made available for the 2025/26 school year.

Of the 407 new special classes sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year 17 were established in County Kildare, 14 at primary and 3 at post-primary level. This brings to 148 the number of special classes currently in operation in the county. There are also 6 special schools in County Kildare with approximately 360 students enrolled.

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 families 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.

This notification process will provide the NCSE with valuable information as to which children will continue to require a special class as they progress to post-primary level and details on students who require a place for the first time.

The earlier date will 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.

Budget 2026 has provided funding for 3,000 new special educational places within our education system and extensive research was completed over the summer to identify schools with available accommodation in which new classes can be established. The NCSE is now matching these schools with known local demand based on the parent's notify process.

In order to ensure new special classes can open as quickly as possible the NCSE prioritise working with medium and larger primary schools who do not already have a special class and have available accommodation to accommodate new special class. This approach maximises the use of existing space which can be reconfigured efficiently while also ensuring that new provision continues to be established. It also increases the number of schools with special classes providing parents with greater choice and reducing the distances that some children are travelling to access a special class place.

However, as in other years where schools have no available accommodation, particularly at post-primary level and there is known demand in a local area, my department will continue to provide additional classroom accommodation to provide necessary places.

I would like to stress that the NCSE will continue to support all children made known to them after the October deadline 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.