Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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245. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will urgently address the concerns regarding school accommodation raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60834/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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There continues to be an increasing need to provide additional special school places to support children with complex needs. To meet this need, sixteen new special schools have been established in recent years, and capacity has been expanded in a number of others. Five of these were established for the 2025/26 school year in counties, Cork, Dublin (2), Monaghan and Tipperary.

The new special schools established over recent years have focused on providing additional places in our largest urban areas – Dublin and Cork. The department and NCSE have already begun planning in relation to further expanding special school capacity for the 2026/27 school year. It is estimated that a further 300 new special school places may be required each year for the coming years.

When looking to provide additional capacity the department’s preferred option is to increase provision in existing special schools, if possible. Where this is not possible in a region, the department and NCSE will consider the need to establish a new special school.

In planning for increased special school places, the department and NCSE review all of the available data on the growing need for special school places across the country. This involves a detailed analysis of enrolment trends and the potential for existing special schools in a region to expand.

Arrangements are in train to provide accommodation to facilitate the expansion of Craddockstown Special School. It is intended that existing modular accommodation will be repurposed to facilitate this. It is anticipated this will be available to the school by December 2025, subject to the necessary planning permission being confirmed by the local authority.

The school patron Kildare and Wicklow Education Training Board (ETB) in consultation with the NCSE has made contingency arrangements in the intervening period. My department is aware that the school is engaging directly with the parents in this regard.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs and will continue to review and monitor the situation for further special school capacity in South Kildare.