Vol. 1086 No. 5
84. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the way in which plans can be advanced for a new school (details supplied) on the new site offered free of charge to the State, within the town boundaries of Milford. [39850/26]
First, I thank the Minister for visiting Scoil Mhuire Milford last Friday – it was really appreciated - and seeing for herself the serious challenges that they face with the existing site. As the Minister knows, they have a new site secured. There will not be any issues with planning. It is across the road from Loreto Community School in the existing school environment up there. I hope the Minister can continue the momentum the previous Minister, Helen McEntee, brought and work towards a new school site for Scoil Mhuire Milford.
I had a wonderful visit to Scoil Mhuire Milford last week with Deputy Mac Lochlainn, Senator Manus Boyle and other Deputies. I want to commend the work of the school. You can see the fantastic ethos there, the learning and teaching and the warmth that is evident there. I always say it is very clear when you walk into a school the atmosphere that is there and that was very apparent in Scoil Mhuire Milford.
My Department has received an application for large-scale capital funding from the school. The officials have corresponded extensively with the school following that application. They met the patron and other school representatives. Discussions have been ongoing between the Department and the school around providing more information around enrolment patterns. From our discussion that day with the school, it will submit that.
As the Deputy will know, the Department provided additional capacity at the school through a significant modular accommodation project that was completed in November 2024. In terms of managing remaining capacity pressures at the school, the Department understands that around 20% of the school’s current enrolment consists of pupils for whom it is not their nearest school. The school wants to come back with figures and evidence around that. We would really welcome that information.
My Department’s NDP rollout places a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and the prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. All applications from schools for major capital works, including Scoil Mhuire, must be considered in that context. My Department will continue to liaise with the patron and school authority within this context but we are also awaiting that information around the enrolment figures.
It really was helpful for the Minister to be there and see for herself. She can see the location of the school in relation to the roads outside is entirely inappropriate. The school was built back in the day and does not reflect modern needs at all. The school site has no green area whatever for children to play. These are basic rights. The toilet areas are totally inadequate. The Minister will have seen the inadequate nature of the classrooms and the areas for children with special needs just are not there.
I am really glad the Minister said at the outset that it is a tremendous school. The Minister saw the culture that day. The teaching staff are really proud of their educational environment but they do not have the amenities they deserve. The standard of education they are providing and the support with the community is notable. The fact the school got the site tells the Minister about the support it has in the community. It is a remarkable thing to offer a greenfield site free of charge. They have done the work with the local councillors on planning. It is a really unique case. I cannot think of a stronger case in terms of national schools in Donegal. I ask the Minister to continue the good work of her predecessor. She was moved to another portfolio and now Deputy Naughton is the Minister. I am delighted she came to visit the school to see for herself. Let us keep the momentum going now.
As the Deputy knows, the school operates on a tight urban site which adjoins a relatively busy road than most rural schools. The school has identified various issues with accommodation, including traffic management, uneven and small internal floor areas and, as I could see for myself, a sloping site topography and a limited play space. The school also referenced expected future housing growth and the urgency of acting on the offer of a local landowner to swap a greenfield site for a new school in exchange for the current site. The Department will continue to liaise with the school.
Since 2020 we have invested €228.24 million in capital funding for schools in Donegal. Seventy-three schools have been upgraded either through a new building, a large-scale extension or modular accommodation and there are eight school projects under construction. I know the Deputy’s question related to this school - I will continue to work with it in order to try to progress this.
I checked with the school last Friday. Deputy Naughton is the fourth Minister for education during this process. That says a lot. The public representatives in Donegal - cross party - have come together and appealed to Ministers to come and see the school: Joe McHugh from Donegal was there as were Deputy Norma Foley, Deputy Helen McEntee and now Deputy Naughton. I appreciate every one of them came to the school to visit but the reason we have impressed on the Minister about this is that we feel so strongly, as a cross-party group of TDs and Senators, that this school is a unique case. The school has waited a long time. They thought when they were posed with the challenge of getting a site that when they secured a site free of charge to State - it has all the amenities, is across the road from the existing secondary school, is the perfect location and planning will not be an issue – they could get momentum. I ask the Minister to continue the positive mindset she brought last Friday and get a new school for that town.
I thank the Deputy. He will appreciate I cannot confirm anything there in the Dáil Chamber. All I can say is it was great to see the school for myself. I know the great work happening there, the constraints the school is working within and the fantastic job it is doing in relation to teaching and learning. The enrolment figures are important. I understand the school says it has that work completed and will send it into the Department in relation to the review of enrolment patterns in the area and looking at the current enrolment coming from areas served by other schools. That is important in terms of trying to progress this. I thank the Deputy for his time.
85. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the promised SNA circulars to replace 30/2014 and on redeployment will be released; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40714/26]
We are all aware how the failure of the 2014 circular and the Government to recognise the evolved role of the SNA and what the meaning of inclusion in education really means led to in the crisis we had earlier this year. When will the promised new circular be out? I think I heard the Minister say it will come before the summer recess. Will she confirm this? Will it reflect the needs and aspirations of SNAs, school communities, parents and children?
My Department is in the final stages of work on the first special needs assistant workforce development plan and associated documents. The plan provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and supporting SNAs, children with special educational needs and school communities. It will, through a co-created series of policy developments strengthen, clarify and offer clear direction and consistency to the SNA workforce.
Significant research and collaboration have been undertaken in preparation of the plan. This includes significant engagement with focus groups of SNAs, students, school leaders and teachers as well as a national survey of SNAs. Published reports on each are available on the government website.
The plan is also supported by collaborative working groups established for each of the five pillars of the work. Membership of these working groups include school management bodies, Fórsa, the trade union representing SNAs, school staff, the National Parents Council and the Children’s Rights Alliance.
The working groups examined every facet of the SNA role in 55 meetings with a view to enhancing support to children and young people with special educational needs. Recently, the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I held a full day-long engagement with SNAs and other education stakeholders on those documents, making sure there are no gaps and that we get this right. It was a very productive, positive meeting. The key outputs from the plan include a new circular on the role of the SNA, a SNA redeployment scheme which is long sought after by SNAs and a review of the SNA employment contract. I very much value the key contribution that SNAs. This was co-designed by them and by education stakeholders to make sure the educational experience and overall well-being of our students, which is what we are all here for, in our schools and to make sure our pupils are getting the resources they need. It will be published in the next couple of weeks.
It is coming out over the coming number of weeks. That is good. It happened because the Government got it so badly wrong. There were massive protests and there was fear and anxiety but it is good that we have moved on. The question is really whether it will be maximalist in terms of the need to include children and genuinely recognise the role of the SNAs and how it has evolved, and genuinely recognise what inclusion means. It is not just physical presence in the school. It is emotional well-being, genuine support and communication. Just because a child is doing well does not necessarily mean an SNA has to be taken out and moved somewhere else because a child who might need that support to continue flourishing could regress because they do not have SNA support. All of this was reflected in the alternative proposed circular put forward by parents' groups. Obviously, teachers have to have input and have to teach. However, this has to be maximalist in terms of inclusion and genuinely recognise the importance and role of SNAs. Will it be?
"Yes" is the short answer. This has been the result of a huge amount of collaboration and engagement and has been co-designed by SNAs and education stakeholders. The Deputy is right about the evolved role of the SNA. It goes beyond the primary care needs. There are the social, emotional and behavioural supports that young people and students require. We also want to make sure SNAs are getting adequate training. These are things they have looked for. SNAs come from a wide variety of life experiences. There are varying qualifications out there and they bring so much as things stand. It is to elevate their position and make sure we are getting this right. There has been a huge amount of co-design with them and with educators. We have also listened to the voices of students and young people. There has been huge collaboration with them as well. For example, almost 7,500 SNAs responded to the national survey. There are focus groups with more than 310 SNAs, over 200 teachers and 250 school leaders. We consulted with almost 150 children and young people about the role of the SNA and what they want to see to support them as well.
That is all good and not a moment too soon. However, we know there is always a tension between budgetary constraints being imposed, the needs of the children and a genuine recognition of the importance and role of SNAs and what school communities really need. It is absolutely critical that the needs of children, a genuine recognition of the importance and role of the SNAs and what school communities need trump any budgetary pressures being imposed. The concern is that these delays and what happened the last time was ultimately driven by budgetary constraints, and it led to the sort of crisis we had. It is good we have had the conversations but let us hope people have genuinely been listened to and that there is no diluting happening for financial reasons, and that this does the job it needs to do for children, SNAs, teachers and schools.
I am glad the Deputy raised this issue because we are increasing the number of SNAs. There are 24,896 SNAs in our schools. By next September we will have over 26,000 SNAs. Between this year and next year, we have funding for 3,000 SNAs. We will be continuing to invest in our special needs assistants. They value and provide support for our children and students, particularly children coming into primary school and those transitioning from primary to post-primary level. Making sure the resource, which is the SNA, is moving with the young person is absolutely key. The Deputy is correct that the class teacher and special education teacher are key here as well but the SNA plays a key role. When teachers do student support plans the SNA will feed into that. That is the important role they play in the social, emotional and behavioural, as well as the primary care needs of our young people. We want to make sure we are not only validating them but recognising the important role they play. That is why the new workforce development plan, and the circular will reflect that through co-design and engagement with the sector.
87. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to provide the funding to allow all school building projects in Carlow and Kilkenny to move to the next phase of the process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40603/26]
I ask about schools in Kilkenny that are on the list waiting to be approved to move forward. I want to raise serious concerns in the school community regarding the Kilkenny City Vocational School, which is a DEIS school. Alongside that there is Coláiste Pobal Osraí. These will form the Kilkenny school campus. We spent €3.5 million on the grounds work. The planning permission expires in 2027 and the lease in 2028. The Minister visited recently, and I would like to hear that this will make progress.
As the Deputy will be aware, I have recently published the €7.55 billion NDP sectoral investment plan for the education and youth sectors for the period 2026 to 2030. Of that €7.55 billion investment, €5 billion will be used for project rollout to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings. In this regard, I published a list of the 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over this year and next year, of which four are in Carlow and two are in Kilkenny. These projects were prioritised with a strong focus on maximising existing capacity and prioritising project rollout to meet the most urgent needs. These projects are in addition to the €253 million in capital funding for Carlow-Kilkenny schools between 2020 and 2025. Over that period, a total of 70 schools has been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. There are currently seven school projects in Carlow-Kilkenny under construction. My Department will continue to engage with patrons and schools in Carlow-Kilkenny and across the country to inform targeted and prioritised capital investment. That will include the identification of any urgently required works or capacity needs with stakeholders, and that consultation will commence in June.
With regard to Kilkenny City Vocational School and Coláiste Pobal Osraí, they form part of a single campus development. I had the pleasure of visiting them with Deputies McGuinness and Callaghan, and local representatives. I know there is a devolved delivery to the Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board. The brief for Kilkenny City Vocational School provides for a new post-primary school building with a long-term projected enrolment of 550 pupils, including a two-room special education provision. The brief for Coláiste Pobal Osraí provides for a new post-primary school building with a long-term projected enrolment for 400 pupils. The project is at stage 2B. I will come back in and say more.
It is extremely important that this project moves forward because it has a huge impact on the schools and their development. The lease expires in 2028, and the planning permission is due to expire in 2027. The Minister is right to say investment has been good in Carlow and Kilkenny but there is always a focus on the ones we are waiting for. The Minister met with the community school in Castlecomer when she was there. I also drew her attention to Church Hill National School and Scoil Mhuire in Mooncoin. Given the numbers and because they are ready to go and are trying to accommodate special needs and so on, it is important that these schools be given a clear indication through the course of this year as to their standing and the possibility for funding. I hope the Minister will engage directly with those schools I have mentioned to ensure they are moved to their next phase, and to keep focus on the Kilkenny school campus.
There has been significant investment in Carlow and Kilkenny due to the demographic changes there. I am aware that across the country there are many schools. Some of them were happy they were on that list, and others were disappointed that there were not. There is work under way in my Department on a new prioritisation list of schools. There was a conditional energy survey carried out across all schools in the country. That will be completed this year and feed into our new prioritisation list. The Department of education will be contacting patrons shortly for their views on the new prioritisation list and that work will be ongoing.
Obviously, we have an NDP right out to 2030. I could not announce all the projects in one go. In an ideal world, we would have loved to do that. This has to be done on a phased basis. The first tranche was announced and the Department will be working with patrons and schools on the next prioritisation list.
There are capacity issues in some of the schools I have mentioned, like Church Hill National School in Cuffesgrange and Scoil Mhuire in Mooncoin. Then there is the issue of Castlecomer's school, which has 634 students. That project is shovel-ready and the school wants to get on with that work. There has been such a long wait for the Kilkenny school campus. Planning permission is there. Some €3.5 million has already been spent on the groundworks and the planning permission will expire. I keep on emphasising that and will continue to because the school needs to know where it is going before the end of July. It cannot be left until next year for the school to be given some sort of indication, because that will force it back into the planning process. The school will also lose time and see site costs increase. The other interesting thing about schools is the renting of prefabs. This has cost Church Hill National School €480,000 to date. As such, there is a really urgent case for investment in all of those schools.
I thank the Deputy. In general, the Department works with schools on planning permissions that may be due to expire. That work happens all the time. With the priority list, we look at a number of issues, including: demographic pressures; schools that may not have their own home, in that they may be working out of a sports facility; whether they are ready to proceed to stage 3; whether they are maximising the capacity within their existing school footprint; and, importantly, where there is a focus on special educational needs, SEN, classes. This is a top priority for the Minister of State and me and it feeds into our building projects as well. We want to ensure our children and students can attend their local school. That will require special education classes to be prioritised as part of our building projects.
We will now go back to Parliamentary Question No. 86 from Deputy Ó Muirí.
86. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update on the SNA review for a school (details supplied) in north Dublin, recognising the uncertainty families are facing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40716/26]
My question is on the provision of SNAs in a school in my community and the need for better communications from the Department of education. Will the Minister of State provide an update on the SNA review for Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol in Domhnach Míde, Baile Átha Cliath, recognising the uncertainty families are facing, and will he make a statement on the matter?
I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on care support for children and young people with special educational needs in our schools, including the allocation of special needs assistant support to schools. It has responsibility for managing and processing requests from schools for a review of their SNA allocations.
I fully understand and have seen the critical role special needs assistants play in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools. The Department has been steadily building the level of SNA support in our education system. By the end of this year, there will be over 24,896 SNAs in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. That will grow to 26,000 or more over the next while. This represents a 46% increase since 2020. The Minister and I have been engaging intensively to ensure all the concerns raised are understood.
The Deputy raised an issue with a specific school. I will ask the NCSE to ensure that that review is taken out as soon as possible. If the Deputy has more details, we could follow up afterwards. I reassure the House that the value we place on the role of the special needs assistant in the school system is huge. SNAs have contributed enormously to the provision of specialised education. We are going to continue to grow those numbers into next year and beyond to ensure we are meeting the needs of children and school communities.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I spoke earlier this year about the importance of that trust between SNAs and students, which I know he understands, and how central that is to a child’s school experience and their broader development. I welcome the commitment to engage specifically on this item and will follow up with him separately. I also welcome the target of 26,000-plus SNAs. Communication earlier in the year between the Department and the NCSE was very poor and we are heading for the same problem again. That is where Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol is struggling. It wants to plan for its SNA numbers and allocations for next year. I will pick up with the Minister of State separately on that. We need to address this for the future. I do not want Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol or any other school in the area heading for the June bank holiday still not clear on its allocation, so it is really important that we try to bottom out that process so schools can have certainty as soon as possible.
On decisions that were made earlier this year, there will be no change. There will be no reduction in the number of SNAs who will be in school communities from 2025-26 to 2026-27. We are committed to growing the number of SNAs because we see the role of the SNA as a huge enabler in providing specialised education in school communities. They have contributed enormously to allow a child with special educational needs to reach their full potential within the education system and the work that is being done by the special needs assistants across the school communities, in collaboration with the teachers and school leaderships, is second to none. We understand that at ministerial level, across the Department and in the NCSE as well.
It is important that we are communicating our information and our story across the school communities because nothing can be more frustrating than not understanding the information. I take the point on that but we are communicating right across the system. A huge volume of work has been going on for a number of years and is being brought to a conclusion over the next number of weeks in terms of the workforce development plan, the redeployment plan and the circular.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. The same school has an issue with the summer programme as well. On the school's notification of the summer programme, the quantum has arrived three months later than last year and the school still does not know how many places it can offer. It has only been told that this information will be confirmed this very week. This is an issue that came up during the general election campaign. I remember talking to teachers who were really struggling to make their plans for the summer programme because they were hearing about their resources quite late in the cycle. Will the Minister of State give us any assurance or information? What can we do to make sure that that school can accommodate and plan the summer programme, given it is just around the corner, so that there is not that stress on families and they can make their summer plans as well?
The summer programme is hugely valued within school communities and families. That just goes to show the huge number of families and students who have applied for the programme across the system. It came up again at the Oireachtas committee on education yesterday when the Minister and I were reflecting very carefully on the concerns that were raised about the summer programme into 2026 and the challenges there were for a number of schools and students. We are reflecting very carefully on that but of course we have to be very mindful also that we have a specific budget for it and we have those limits we have to work in. We are working with every school community to bring certainty over the next short while. We are acutely aware that it is only a number of weeks before the summer programme will kick in. I assure the Deputy we are reflecting very carefully on what he is saying and also what others said at the committee yesterday and will be giving it due consideration over the next day or two.
88. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth her current views on the availability of special education placements in the east Cork area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40462/26]
My Department and the National Council for Special Education continue to work closely with school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools to confirm new special classes for the next school year, 2026-27. The NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January of this year, which is several months earlier than last year. In addition, we recently announced inclusive special classes as part of a new approach to supporting students with additional needs. This is one of many ways my Department is actively engaging to meet the increased demand.
To date, 546 new special classes have been sanctioned, including 47 inclusive special classes. Of these, 63 are sanctioned in County Cork. Some further new special classes will be confirmed in the coming weeks. These new special classes will be in addition to the 617 already in operation across schools in County Cork. In the Cork East constituency specifically, there are 145 special classes in mainstream schools this school year. Some 87 of these have been newly established since 2020. In addition to providing additional special class places, four new special schools have been established in County Cork in recent years, including one in east Cork. The East Cork Community Special School continues to grow and expand to meet the increasing level of need.
My Department and the NCSE will continue to closely monitor the need for further special class and special school places in east Cork over the coming months, and as part of forward planning for the 2027-28 school year. The NCSE also continues to engage closely with schools and families to track the placement of children and young people and determine the current remaining level of need for specialist places at a local level.
I wish to highlight the need for the provision of a special education placement in east Cork, where children and their parents are currently travelling long distances to secure a place. People are travelling daily from east Cork to special schools in Cork city, Dungarvan and further afield, often resulting in an almost 100 km round trip. Does the Minister of State agree that it is unfair that children with complex needs have to travel long distances, far from familiar surroundings, while their siblings attend school nearby? We have long had a lack of special education facilities in east Cork. This was somewhat addressed by the opening of a special school in Carrigtwohill in recent years. However, local demand for these places, unfortunately, far outstrips current supply, with waiting lists putting huge pressure on parents. These parents are already under enough stress in dealing with children with complex additional needs. There is, therefore, an acute need for the establishment of a special school between Carrigtwohill and Youghal in east Cork. Given the travel times for special students in towns like Youghal, does the Minister of State see Youghal as a viable option for the establishment of a new school?
I am well aware of the campaign and discussions. I have met with the group and have committed to meeting with it again to discuss this further. In east Cork and the area the Deputy represents, there has been a huge growth in population, which increases the need for specialised education. One of the issues we have been looking at in the Department is people travelling long distances for specialised education. Between 2025 and 2026, almost 1,000 special classes have been opened across the country to try to meet the needs as locally as possible. In east Cork, the opening of the school at Carrigtwohill has met the needs within that community. We are acutely aware of the growing needs in this regard. We are continuing to monitor and study the figures to ensure we have specialised education as close as possible to the children, so we can eliminate the need to drive long distances. Those issues are getting careful consideration across the Department.
The Minister of State is aware of the Bridging the Gap Youghal group set up by local parents, who are doing tremendous work in advocating strongly that local gaps in special education provision be addressed. These parents are concerned because there is currently only one special school place available for the 2026-27 school year in the only secondary school in the Youghal area. Does the Minister of State appreciate the serious and legitimate concerns raised by these parents? The need for places is evident and only seems to be increasing. With this in mind, I ask the Minister of State to outline the dialogue he has had to date with this group, and his plans and the plans of his departmental officials to further engage with Bridging the Gap, the NCSE and the education and training board, ETB. If the Minister could arrange a meeting with them, I would really appreciate it.
I can confirm that we met the group some time ago, and we are committed to meeting it again. We are monitoring this across the country, and Youghal and east Cork are no different. We are watching the number of children who have applied through the portal for specialised education, whether in special schools or special classes, to ensure we are meeting the needs in those communities. The data from the portal allowed us to have a lens into how we were tackling specialised education. The aim across the education system is to reduce the travel time. The special school has opened in east Cork. I offer my thanks to Cork ETB for the work it has done in collaboration with the National Council for Special Education and the Department. It has opened a number of schools and taken on a hugely valued role that other patrons would have had heretofore.
I am committed to meeting the groups. I understand the challenges. Entry into primary school or secondary school is a flashpoint for families. We will engage further. I assure the Deputy that we are aware of the concerns and the campaigns that are ongoing. We are reflecting very carefully on all of that.
89. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth an update on the new build for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40803/26]
I ask for an update on the new build for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire in the city centre.
The new build for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire is a large-scale capital project for the construction of a 16-classroom primary school in Dublin 1. The building project to complete the new build for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, Dominick Street, is at stage 3 of the architectural planning process - tender action and award. The Department can confirm that following a confidential conciliation process concerning all matters in dispute between the Department and the original contractor, the conciliator has now issued a formal recommendation for the resolution of those disputes, and that recommendation has now been accepted by both parties. Following the conclusion of the conciliation process, my Department has instructed the design team to ready a tender for the completion contract for the school in Dominick Street. This process is expected to take four to six weeks to publish the tender, with a view to having a contractor on-site in early quarter 4 of 2026.
It remains the Department’s priority to deliver a new school building for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire as quickly as possible. Departmental officials will continue to work closely with the school authority.
I thank the Minister for that information. The status of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire was a very significant issue in the recent by-election. When I was out canvassing with my colleague, Councillor Janet Horner, it was coming up at many doors.
As the Minister knows, the works were suspended in May 2025 by the Department, which was in dispute with the contractor. There was a conciliation process and the school moved to its current temporary site in December 2025. The Minister has made the point that we now have the recommendation. The fact that a recommendation was made by the conciliator was conveyed to the board of management and, in turn, it went on to convey that to the parents. The Minister has provided some further useful information today. However, the fact is that the parents have not had a clear update since March of this year. It would be useful if the Department could write clearly to the board of management and ask it to convey the information it has just given to me. I will put this up on social media, which is fine, but they should hear officially what the status of this project is right now.
As the Deputy said, the design team has been instructed by the Department to ready the tender for the completed contract. It will take four to six weeks to publish the tender, with a view to having the contractor on-site in quarter 4 of this year. Each stage of the process is subject to due diligence by the Department within the context of the overall programme and budgetary parameters. However, it remains the Department's priority to deliver a new school building for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire as quickly as possible.
Departmental officials will continue to work closely with the school authorities and will meet with them on a regular basis.
As the Deputy said, a number of issues arose on site and the Department actively engaged with the design team and the contractor to discuss matters. Those unforeseen matters led to a delay in the project and, as a result, the Department entered into a conciliation hearing to try to reach agreement on a solution to ensure the earliest possible delivery of the school, while respecting its statutory obligations.
I thank the Minister for the detailed information but I come back to the point about communication. That information needs to be communicated to the school management team and board of management, and it needs to be clear to them that they can share that information with parents. This has been a very difficult situation. In fairness to the Department, a lot of work has been done but there are no clear lines of communication for getting that information to the parents. I ask the Minister again to ask her officials to communicate with the board and the principal. Sometimes, principals in a difficult position like this are worried about sharing information when confidential discussions are going on. It is important that they know they can share this information with parents.
The students are in a temporary premises on Cathal Brugha Street at the moment. Obviously, the build is going to take longer now but it will, hopefully, recommence in quarter 4 of this year. Do the students have permission to stay in their current temporary accommodation until the build is finalised? Is that certain?
We can contact the school in relation to this but it is important to say that, in accordance with standard practice and contractual requirements, the conciliation process is of a confidential nature and, therefore, it was not appropriate to comment on the process. The conciliator has issued a formal recommendation for the resolution of the disputes and that recommendation has now been accepted by both parties.
The Department is providing accommodation more suitable to the current needs of the school on Cathal Brugha Street. Some small-scale refurbishment works at the building were carried out to provide a good interim accommodation solution for the school. These include teaching and learning spaces for the classes, education supports and sensory spaces, adequate meeting and office spaces, a staff room, a communal area and access to a safe outdoor space for the students. The school moved into those premises in December of 2025.
I will ask departmental officials to engage directly with the Deputy on his last question.
90. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school (details supplied) has been excluded from DEIS and DEIS plus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40726/26]
I have raised the unsustainable situation at Roxboro National School in Ballinrobe with the Minister's office numerous times since last November. I have visited the school, spoken with the management there and seen the urgent need for additional resources. That is why I was extremely disappointed to hear that the school had been excluded from the DEIS programme. I ask the Minister to explain to the school community why Roxboro National School has been excluded from DEIS and DEIS plus despite the obvious resource pressures that this particular school is facing.
I thank the Deputy for her question. Ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority for me as Minister and for my Department. The DEIS programme and the new DEIS plus scheme, which will begin this year as part of the DEIS strategy to 2035, are key initiatives in my Department’s approach to addressing educational disadvantage.
Schools were identified for inclusion in the DEIS and DEIS plus programmes using refined, rules-based approaches built on nationally available pupil-level administrative data that was applied consistently across all schools in the country. The DEIS identification process is based on the principle of concentrated disadvantage and the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school. The DEIS identification process is based on the HP deprivation index assigned to the area where individual students reside, and on Traveller and Roma ethnicity.
It is important to stress that although a school is not included in DEIS or DEIS plus, this does not in any way imply that my Department is saying that disadvantage does not exist within that school community. I absolutely recognise the important role that schools like Roxboro National School in Ballinrobe, and the staff therein, play in supporting children who reside in international protection accommodation, for example. That is why, under the DEIS strategy to 2035, which is my Department’s long-term vision to address educational disadvantage in all schools, I announced a pilot scheme to extend home school community liaison, HSCL, provision to schools outside of the DEIS programme that have significant cohorts of children that are at risk of educational disadvantage or who are from new communities. Roxboro National School in Ballinrobe is one of 130 schools that will be supported under this scheme. Any future allocation of resources to address educational disadvantage in schools will be considered over the lifetime of the DEIS strategy out to 2035 and in the context of available resources.
I will outline to the Minister how Roxboro National School more than meets the criteria for DEIS status. It is a two-teacher rural primary school serving one of the most diverse and disadvantaged school populations in the country. The school currently has 35 pupils; 17 are from the Irish Traveller community and 18 are either in the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, system, refugees, homeless or living in emergency accommodation. Three children have moderate learning difficulties and 31 to 35 require daily special education teaching supports. Due to the diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds of the families within the school community, parent contribution funding is non-existent. There is no functioning parents association and the school is really struggling to maintain a board of management. This all adds to the strain on the already stretched and struggling teaching staff there.
I acknowledge the Department's efforts thus far to assist the school. The school was told that it would be added to the HSCL scheme earlier this year. However, that will not even scratch the surface.
The DEIS plus strategy was a commitment in the programme for Government, the aim of which is to target areas across the country where there are really high risks of educational disadvantage. The evidence from international assessments on literacy and numeracy finds that Ireland performs very highly compared to other OECD countries or EU averages. However, the assessments also find that there are gaps remaining in relation to outcomes for children from areas of high deprivation. That was reinforced by the 2024 review of resourcing schools to address educational disadvantage in Ireland, which recommended higher levels of support for a small cohort of schools supporting the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. That was the purpose of the DEIS plus strategy, but I hear what the Deputy is saying about Roxboro and other schools across the country that are not DEIS schools but have children and young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage within them. That is why I set up that pilot scheme specifically for schools like Roxboro National School in Ballinrobe, to give them access to a home school liaison position.
We will be looking at the DEIS plus strategy and how it is being rolled out. I would like to make it more flexible.
There is transition and integration funding that can be used for other purposes when we have extreme cases like this. The management feared that the inclusion on the scheme to which the Minister refers would lead to Roxboro's exclusion from DEIS. which has now come to pass despite every other school in its HSCL cluster having DEIS or DEIS plus status. The school management and I are really struggling to understand how a school like Roxboro, with such a significant and concentrated need, has been left out of the DEIS scheme.
In a letter from her office to the school on 21 May, the Minister acknowledged the level of disadvantage experienced at Roxboro, yet the school is still excluded from DEIS. This is an exceptional school that needs help. I ask the Minister to outline a clear pathway for Roxboro to achieve DEIS status in the short rather than long term. In the long term, all of these children will be gone and they will have been failed by the system because we are not targeting the investment where it is needed.
The commitment in the programme for Government was for the DEIS plus strategy aimed at those areas of most severe educational disadvantage. That is why I set up a pilot specifically for schools that are not in DEIS, understanding the needs that are out there. I will be looking at that into the future to see what more we can do and what more supports we can provide for schools across the country.
With regard to the data, this is nationally available data that is applied right across the country, and also the enrolment data coming from our schools from the primary online database, POD and the post-primary online database system, P-POD, from our post-primary schools. Priority and weighting was given to schools in areas where there was a high level of unemployment, a high level of Roma or Traveller children within those schools, and students with lone parents were part of that as well. We have to make sure that we are looking at nationally available data and at the HP deprivation index. We also work with the Central Statistics Office, CSO, in making sure that we are refining the data that is coming to us, specifically in relation to schools across the country, and the enrolment data that schools are providing.
91. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of the increasing pressure on schools due to the growing number of students requiring additional care and educational supports; whether her Department is satisfied that current special needs assistant allocations are meeting the needs of students and schools; the steps being taken to increase the number of SNAs available, particularly in schools experiencing significant demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40810/26]
Tá mé ag iarraidh ceist a chur ar an Aire Stáit faoin bhrú atá ar scoileanna i dtuaisceart Bhaile Átha Cliath. Is the Department satisfied that the current special needs assistant allocations meet the needs of students? There are a lot of schools I could mention that have been on to me, but in the context of this main question I will mention the Stapolin Education Together National School. Also, Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol is operating with one special needs assistant. What is the DEIS status of St. Joseph's in Fairview? Parents have other children, brothers and sisters, in another school that has DEIS plus status and yet that school does not have it. What is the DEIS plus status of St. Francis Junior School in Dublin 17? I know there is a lot there so we can go back and forth.
I thank Deputy Heneghan for the tour of the schools in his constituency. I do take his point on this serious issue. I welcome the engagement by all Deputies and political figures on education, which is hugely important. It is important that we engage as fully as possible with schools, school communities and families.
The Government is strongly committed to supporting children with special educational needs to achieve their full potential and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver this objective. In 2026 there will be 24,896 special needs assistants in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. This represents an almost 46% increase since the 2020 school year. The SNA plays a key role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in the schools. As part of the annual budgetary process I will continue to pursue the resources required to support the care needs for pupils with additional SNA resources when required.
In February we confirmed that there would be no reductions to the special needs assistants for the school year 2026-27. All schools were reviewed by the NCSE and schools allocated additional resources will receive them in the upcoming school year. The SNA redeployment scheme, the SNA workforce development plan, and changes to a 2014 circular outlining the role of the SNA will be advanced before any further decisions are taken.
The NCSE has responsibility for ensuring that all additional SNA posts funded through budget 2026 are allocated to mainstream, special classes and special schools to meet the care needs in these sectors. In all cases any school that believes it has insufficient special needs assistant resources to support the needs of the pupils should contact the NCSE for an SNA review. If on completion of the SNA review it identifies that additional resources are required, they will be provided.
The Minister of State will be aware that I will always mention the schools in north Dublin to him. With regard to St. Francis Junior School, it had 165 registered instead of 166. In this school 40% of the current students are from the Traveller community. They cannot lose a mainstream teacher. It will put extreme pressure on them. The Minister of State will be aware, because I am always bringing it up, that the Stapolin Educate Together school needs to have that modular building sanctioned. It has the ability to do brilliant things. I thank the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, for her response to the parliamentary question today relating to Gaelcholáiste Reachrann. The addition of those two special educational needs classes is needed. It is great that the data has been shown in that area, and the parents are happy, but I would love to see that school moving forward. The response to the parliamentary question said that it would be moving and progressed.
The current SNA review for Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol took place more than five months ago yet the school has received no formal communication of the outcome. In the meantime, staff are being left to manage impossible circumstances with one SNA.
Reviews are ongoing and we will have further engagement, along with the schools the Deputy mentioned. Over recent weeks we have announced a number of inclusive special classes as well, which is 47 in total. Of those, 32 are at post-primary and 15 are primary schools. These have been welcomed by the school communities where we are providing the resources. The school communities should look at what we have done in other schools as well because this is a hugely important and significant policy change which is being welcomed across the school communities.
The Government is continuing to invest hugely in SNAs and in ensuring we have SNAs right across the school communities, be they special schools, special classes or in mainstream classes. The value of the special needs assistant and the role they play in enabling students to reach their full potential, and in some cases to allow them to engage within the education system, is hugely important to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and to me. We understand that. A lot of work has been done on the workforce development plan, the circular and the redeployment. If there are existing schools that the Deputy needs us to look at, we can certainly do so. I can assure the Deputy that we are growing the number of SNAs into the future.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Tá mé an-sásta é sin a chloisteáil. Tá na ceithre scoil sin an-tábhachtach. Bím i gcónaí ag cur ceisteanna parlaiminte agus ríomhphost chuig oifig an Aire Stáit, ach ní bhíonn na freagraí sásúil. Níl siad maith go leor. The parents are exhausted from having to battle continuously for assessments, classroom space and SNAs. I welcome the addition of many SNA posts and additional classrooms but these schools need to be looked at and their DEIS status needs to be examined. Every child in north Dublin deserves these schools. They need the support as it will affect their development and their future opportunities. I am calling on the Minister of State to urgently engage with all of the schools I mentioned today. The staffing and the infrastructure required needs to be delivered without further delay. The children of north Dublin and across Ireland deserve and are entitled to better. I appreciate the engagement that the Minister of State has given so far and I welcome that he has visited these schools, particularly St. Michael's House in Baldoyle. They were very grateful for the Minister of State's visit, and for the compassion and information he gave to them, along with the understanding of it. I really welcome the work the Minister of State will do with all of the Dublin Bay North TDs on that matter.
I thank the Deputy. As I say of all Deputies across the House, the engagement they have with the education system is crucially important. We are able to have very informed debates here in Leinster House with Deputies' contributions. Deputy Heneghan mentioned a number of schools. We will certainly follow up on them. We are acutely aware of the challenges in the context of the SNA role. We have invested. There are 46% more SNAs since 2020, which is only six years ago. We have grown the number of SNAs. We are committed to having more SNAs and we will have a considerable amount of SNAs, literally thousands more, over the next number of years. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, and I are acutely aware of and understand the role the SNA provides and we will fight at all levels to make sure we have funding for SNAs into the future.
94. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will ensure that approval issues at an early date in respect of a building project for a school (details supplied) taking into account the accommodation needs of this school which have been outlined clearly to the Department and that the school is seeking basic accommodation and replacement of a much outdated prefab which was, in effect, a multi-purpose room; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40549/26]
My question refers to Curravagh National School at Glangevlin in County Cavan. It is a small school and it has a 25-year-old prefab that needs to be replaced. It is 25 sq. m but the Department has offered a 19 sq. m replacement permanent building. On the advice of the Department the school partitioned that prefab some years ago so that it would have some accommodation for shared special education teacher, English language teacher, secretary and principal space. The school is requesting that the additional accommodation to be provided would equal the size of its existing prefab. It is a very basic ask. I ask the Minister to ask her officials to revisit the approval that has been issued by her Department.
We are short of time so I ask for a single reply.
Okay. I can come back to the Deputy with further information. I can confirm that my Department is in receipt of an application for accommodation under the additional school accommodation scheme for the school referred to by the Deputy.
The application relates to the replacement of a prefab which is used as a special education tuition room and ancillary accommodation. The Department's assessment of this application needs to reflect the fact this is a two-teacher school, with a current enrolment of 20 pupils. While the school has two classrooms, it has very limited ancillary accommodation and my Department previously indicated to the school authority that it is prepared to approve a small special education tuition room for the school. While a special education tuition room does not reflect the full scale of additional and ancillary accommodation sought by the school authority, my Department considers this is the most important aspect to be prioritised at this time. However, my Department will continue to engage with the school authority on the matter, and I can come back to the Deputy on that.
