Seán Sherlock
Question:267. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education the number of autism units currently operating in north Cork; and the amount of places available in each unit, in tabular form. [24690/24]
View answerTuesday, 11 June 2024
Questions (267)
Written answers
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
Over 360 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE for the 2024/25 school year. Of these, 65 are in Cork, 41 are at primary level and 24 at post-primary, this brings the total number of special classes in the county to 561. The vast majority of these are autism classes and have a teacher/student ratio of 1:6.
The attached table provides a breakdown of autism classes in County Cork and includes new classes sanctioned for the 2024/25 school year.
The NCSE expect to confirm some additional classes over the coming weeks to ensure that a sufficient level of provision is available to meet the needs of children. The NCSE are confident that through the provision of these classes and some vacancies in existing classes that there are sufficient places to meet the needs of children known to them for September 2024.
I have asked the NCSE to ensure classes are established as a matter of urgency and to keep all families seeking class places updated on an ongoing basis to ensure their children can access the provision to which they are entitled.