Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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464. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures her Department is taking to ensure that every child with a disability can access a genuinely inclusive education in their local school with the necessary supports, staffing, and resources in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63213/25]

Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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465. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which her Department plans to address the decline in the number of early-intervention and special classes for children with additional needs in Cork; her Department’s plans and timelines for expanding provision in the county to address the identified shortfall and ensure equitable access for all children with additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63214/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 464 and 465 together.

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality has responsibility for provision of services to children of pre-school age. The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) provided by that department, enables the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities/additional needs in the Early Childhood Care & Education Scheme (ECCE) programme.

Its goal is to create a more inclusive environment in pre-schools, so all children availing of preschool, regardless of ability, can benefit from quality early learning and care.

This is keeping with the general policy position of supporting children with additional needs to access supports and services with their peers and siblings in their local community.

There has been a significant increase in resources and supports provided to children with additional needs accessing the AIM programme over recent years.

It is important to note that a diagnosis is not required in order to access AIM supports and that while some children require additional supports at preschool level, many will transition into mainstream classes thereafter.

To further supplement the provision of services for these children my department also provides a number of early intervention classes in mainstream and special school settings for children aged 3-5 years old with a diagnosis of autism. There are also a small number dedicated to children who are deaf/hard of hearing.

These classes are intended to provide early support to children with the most complex of needs before they start school and can aid their transition to junior infants. A professional recommendation for placement in such a class is also a requirement. Early Intervention classes are generally resourced with one special education teacher and two special need assistants (SNAs) to every six students.

The vast majority of young children with additional needs are supported to attend their local Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) setting and do not need to attend a primary school or special school to access early years support.

Where the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) identifies need for an early intervention class, the class is sanctioned and supports are provided by my department to ensure the school can accommodate the class.

Many of the early intervention classes sanctioned to date have been reclassified as the children enrolled reach primary level age. This allows the children to remain in the class at the school they attended for early intervention, however, this it is not always the case, and some classes continue to enrol a new cohort of children yearly.

3,000 new specialist places will be created in our education system for the 2026/27 school year. The NCSE is currently examining the level of need by special class and special school type and where these places are best located.

However, it is important to remember that the vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which promotes that children will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible. This is accomplished by providing additional special education teachers and special needs assistant resources to mainstream classes, providing schools with enhanced capitation grants, assistive technology grants, the school transport scheme, dedicated training and guidance and resource documents designed to support children with special educational needs.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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466. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to urgently grant an NCSE application to open a fifth special class at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63232/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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469. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a school (details supplied) to open a fifth special education class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63262/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 466 and 469 together.

Budget 2026 has provided funding for 3,000 new special educational places within our education system and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is currently examining where this provision is best placed for the 2026/27 school year.

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.

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.

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.

The NCSE will have a clear picture of the local demand for special class places for the 2026/27 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 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 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.

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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467. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a review of special education hours for a school will be considered (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63234/25]

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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499. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the special education teaching allocation for a school (details supplied); if she will ensure that the school receives an allocation that accurately reflects the current needs of its pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63696/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 467 and 499 together.

The Special Education Teaching (SET) Allocation Model is a standardised allocation model that provides schools with additional teaching hours to support the teaching needs of students in mainstream classes.

For the 2025/26 school year close to 15,000 special education teachers have been allocated to schools to support these children and young people.

The primary responsibility for the education of all students, including those with special education learning needs, is the class teacher.

The allocation of hours to each school is based on a unique profile of learning need in each individual school. The allocation model uses a variety of statistical data to complete allocations. This data includes, enrolment data, data on educational needs profiles (literacy and numeracy) and data on educational disadvantage.

The department is aware that unique circumstances may arise in schools that may be difficult to reflect in a standardised method. Any school who has any concerns that their allocation is insufficient to meet the identified learning needs of all children and young people enrolled based on the Continuum of Support framework can engage with the NCSE to request a review of their allocation.

I can confirm that the NCSE have advised that in relation to the school referred to by the deputy that the school submitted a SET review request. The NCSE further advised that the outcome of the review was no change to their allocation for 2025/26 school year and the NCSE communicated this outcome to the school.

The NCSE are available to support the school with the deployment of their SET allocation and the school may request this support via the NCSE school portal.

My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.