Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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178. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students currently supported by reading schools or specialist classes for severe dyslexia, by region and by local authority area, in tabular form; the projected future demand for such provision; the planned timeline for expansion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66490/25]

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 students with special educational needs.

At present, there are four special schools, and fourteen special classes attached to mainstream schools to support students with a specific learning disability such as severe dyslexia. I want to acknowledge the excellent work they do. It is important to note they were established at a time when there were much fewer additional supports in schools.

In working to develop a more inclusive education system, we want to support students to attend their local mainstream schools. This means that children and young people can be educated with their peers and are not required to travel long distances to attend special schools or classes.

15,000 special education teachers have been provided to enable schools to achieve this. In practical terms this means schools get a substantial additional teaching allocation to support students 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, dyscalculia or dysgraphia.

Of course, I recognise the importance of building the capacity of teachers in mainstream schools to meet the needs of all students. To support this, 338 places are funded each year for teachers to attend post-graduate special education needs programmes. The NCSE offers dedicated professional learning opportunities for teachers supporting students with additional needs. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) also provides professional learning opportunities that are available to all primary and post-primary school teachers on supporting children and young people with special educational needs.

Funding is also made available to schools for the purchase of specialised equipment to assist students. Schools can apply to the NCSE, through their local special educational needs organiser (SENO) for such support.

The need for any additional provision or resources for schools to support students with dyslexia is kept under constant review by the NCSE.

A list of all mainstream and special schools is available on my department's website on gov.ie. In addition, a list of schools with special classes; broken by location and class designation is available on the NCSE website .

The NCSE is currently collating the data and information received by 1 October through the parents notify process and are engaging with schools regarding where specialist provision is best placed for the 2026/27 school year. It is envisioned that the majority of these special classes will be sanctioned by 31 December 2025