Written Answers Nos. 80-87
80. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Education the number of spaces for children with additional needs in Monaghan; the plans to increase such; the timeframe to do so; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21590/25]
View answerThis 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 (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs.
Through the accelerated provision of additional special class and special school places over recent years, there are now just over 28,000 students enrolled in special classes and special schools. Budget 2025 provides for an additional 2,700 specialist places, made up of 400 new special class and 300 additional special school places. On top of this, there will be over 1,000 places available through the normal annual movement of students progressing from primary to post-primary and students graduating from post-primary or special schools. There also remains special class vacancies in some areas of the country.
Of the 400 new special classes places provided for in Budget 2025, the NCSE has advised that 399 of these classes have already been sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year. Of these six are in Monaghan, four at primary and two at post primary level. This will add to the 54 special classes currently in operation in the county Monaghan. The vast majority of these classes have a teacher/student ratio of 1:6.
As you are aware a new special school will also open in County Monaghan for 2025/26 school year, I understand that the school will initially admit 18 students and the application window for admissions closed on 31 March. A number of information events for parents were held jointly by the ETB and the NCSE in recent weeks. My department and the local ETB will continue to review and assess the accommodation options available to allow the new special school to grow and expand over the next few years.
Where new special classes have been sanctioned, I would urge schools to progress the admission of students as soon as possible to ensure that the NCSE can continue to evaluate demand in local areas, sanction classes as required and assist parents in securing a school place.
The department and NCSE have begun planning for the 2026/27 school year. When looking to provide additional capacity the department’s preferred option is to increase provision in existing special schools if possible and are looking at mainstream schools with available accommodation with no existing special class.
Part of the forward planning process as to where new classes, schools or expansion is required looks at how far students are travelling to access an education appropriate to their needs. This is an important factor which has been incorporated into the decision-making process. Consideration is also given to the information the NCSE hold at local level on the number of children seeking a special placement in a region.
My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs.
81. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education to investigate the urgent concerns of a school with respect to the failure of her Department to provide it with an ancillary grant (details supplied); if she will direct her Department to answer the questions repeatedly put to it by the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21616/25]
View answerThe Ancillary Services Grant is payable to recognised primary schools and special schools in the Free Education Scheme. The grant is intended to cater for the cost of employing Secretarial and Caretaking staff. It is up to the BOM to allocate this funding as per their priorities. As per Circular 0040/2009 (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/circulars/clarification-regarding-legitimate-use-of-capitation-funding-2/) the capitation grant provided for general running costs and the ancillary services grant provided for Secretarial and Caretaking services may be regarded as a common grant from which the Board of Management can allocate according to its own priorities.
After Forsa accepted the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement about salaries and leave for grant-funded school secretaries, the secretaries who accepted the agreement were added to the Department of Education’s payroll from September 2023. Because of this, the ancillary-related grant funding has been updated, since schools are no longer paying these salaries directly.
From January to August 2025, grant funding will be reduced based on the salaries schools paid to grant-funded secretaries before they agreed to the new terms and conditions. Schools have given the Department the salary information, and this is now being used to reduce the ancillary-related grant funding.
To date we have issued correspondence to schools with details of the arrangements for: September to December 2023, January to August 2024, September to December 2024 and January to August 2025.
Since the 2023/24 school year, schools have been paid the usual ancillary/SSSF grant amount, minus the amount that schools previously paid to grant-funded secretaries prior to their acceptance of the new terms and conditions. Schools should be in no way disadvantaged by this as the grant is reduced only by the amount that they previously paid to their secretaries.
In some situations, the salaries of ancillary staff in a particular school may have been higher than the ancillary grant due to the school, and the school may have funded this difference via other revenue streams.
In situations where the salary that a school was paying their secretary was higher than the ancillary grant due to the school, prior to them being added to the Department of Education’s payroll, then the ancillary grant is reduced to NIL. This should not impact the school’s financial position.
For the specific school mentioned, the ancillary grant has been reduced to NIL as the salary the school was previously paying their secretary, prior to moving to the Department’s payroll, was higher than the ancillary grant available to the school prior to reductions being applied. The level of funding available to the school for ancillary staff, including their caretaker, has not changed as the school is no longer funding the salary of the secretary.
The rate of ancillary services grant has not decreased and continues to be paid based on the relevant enrolments in the school multiplied by the rates set out in Circular 0017/2021 (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/services/ancillary-services-grant/#circulars).
82. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education the financial supports that will be available to special needs assistants as part of the redeployment scheme for special needs assistants should their redeployment take place a distance away from their previous post. [21625/25]
View answerAs recently announced work is under way on a redeployment scheme for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) for the coming school year 2025/2026. This important policy initiative will ensure that competent, knowledgeable and experienced SNAs are retained in our schools, building capacity in the workforce and enhancing the service to children with special educational needs.
Undertaken in conjunction with ongoing work on the first SNA Workforce Development Plan the SNA Redeployment scheme will be operated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and for the first time, will allow SNAs in posts which may no longer be required for reasons such as falling enrolments, reduced care needs or changing demographics, to be redeployed to a school which has a vacant post.
My Department will continue to engage with stakeholders on the SNA Redeployment scheme over the coming weeks and this engagement will inform final arrangements for the scheme.
The Special Needs Assistant Workforce Development Plan will introduce policy developments which will bring clarity and direction to the SNA service. It will encompass an understanding of the SNA role and how they and other stakeholders can best be supported to provide the most effective service to children with significant care needs in our schools.
My Department is on track to deliver the SNA Workforce Development Plan in September 2025.
83. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education if a person (details supplied) is entitled to a refund under the PME fee refund scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21643/25]
View answerThis Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning.
A number of measures to support primary and post-primary schools to recruit teachers have been introduced including a €2,000 bursary-style fee refund for teachers graduating with a Professional Master of Education (PME) in 2024.
The objective of the Professional Master of Education (PME) fee refund scheme is twofold, to encourage newly qualified teachers (NQT), who completed a PME to take up teaching roles in return for a minimum level of service, and secondly to recognise some of the costs incurred in undertaking a PME.
Circular Number 0069/2024 refers to the Professional Master of Education (PME) Fee Refund Scheme and sets out the scheme's criteria. Applicants who complete a PME programme in 2024, are registered with the Teaching Council under Route 1 or Route 2 and who provide a minimum period of service in the 2024/25 school year will receive a payment of €2,000, subject to statutory deductions.
An online application portal for this scheme opened at the end of January this year and may be accessed at the following link: https://dessurveys.education.gov.ie/surveys/pme-scheme. The deadline for receipt of applications under this scheme is 31 July 2025.
My Department frequently consults and engages closely with stakeholders on issues such as teacher supply through industrial relations forums, sectoral meetings, and direct discussions with teacher unions.
In addition to recently announced measures, I will continue to consider further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce and ensure that schools have the support needed to provide an excellent education for every student.
84. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education the status of the provision of a permanent school building for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21656/25]
View answerThe large scale capital project for the school referred to by the Deputies is the provision of a new 600 pupil school building including all associated ancillary accommodation.
The project was originally authorised to proceed to tender, upon completion of the prequalification shortlisting process in September 2022.
Planning Permission was due to expire in December 2022 and it was anticipated that an application to extend the duration could be submitted. However, due to changes in the Planning and Development Act 2000, there was no longer provision to apply for an extension of planning permission and a new planning application would be required. The new application was submitted in March 2023 with additional supporting documentation requested by Dublin City Council, which was over and above what had been supplied with the original application.
A new grant of planning was received in December 2023, with a number of conditions attached. Decarbonisation measures were included in a revised project scope in line with Climate Action objectives, and the design team are finalising the tender documents in line with revised Technical guidance documentation from my Department.
Department staff remain in close contact with the Design Team and the patron throughout the process.
The large scale capital project remains a priority for delivery and my department officials will be in contact with the school authority as soon as the Design Team complete the tender documents.
85. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education the consideration her Department is giving to the provision of a new co-educational secondary school in the Cabra-Phibsboro, D7 school planning area; if Census 2022 indicates there is a need for a new secondary school in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21673/25]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that requirement for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity.
In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas (SPA) and uses a geographical information system, using data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.
Major new residential developments have the potential to alter the demand for school places at a local level. In that regard, as part of the demographic demand analysis, my department monitors planning and construction activity in the residential sector. This involves the analysis of data sources from local authorities and the CSO along with the engagement with local authorities and the construction sector. In this way, up-to-date information on significant new residential developments is obtained and factored into the demographic analysis exercise. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes, at a local level, where there is a constantly evolving picture with planned new residential development.
Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:
• Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
• Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
• Provision of a new school or schools.
If additional accommodation is required, the aim to try and facilitate this, as much as possible, by way of expansion of existing schools rather than establishing new schools. The expansion of existing schools is consistent with wider Government objectives under Project Ireland 2040 for an increased emphasis on compact growth. In respect of post primary schools, new post primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of 600-1,000 students and must be co-educational. A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to gaelcholáistí, having regard to the alternative of establishing an Irish-medium unit (aonad) in an English-medium school.
New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase so as to ensure that every child has a school place. Since 2011, new arrangements have been in place for the establishment of new schools involving the forecasting of demand for school places based on demographic exercises carried out by my department. The new criterion for new school entities ensures that all new schools are co-educational, but ethos is determined during the patronage process.
There are more first year places available across the Cabra_Phibsboro_D7 SPA than there are sixth class children enrolled in primary schools. For the 2024/25 year, there was a surplus of first year places available with over 10% of available first year places not being filled. It is expected that there will be a similar surplus for the 2025/26 school year.
Nonetheless, I am aware that there can be pressures where there is high demand in an area or for a particular school. In that context my department has put in place a number of measures to support post-primary schools in managing and effectively coordinating their admissions processes including enhancements to the IT systems for registering enrolments, and continuing the data-sharing arrangements with schools in areas of enrolment pressure including the Cabra_Phibsboro_D7 SPA.
The sharing of this data has been very effective in the identification of school place requirements. In the majority of areas, through the work of schools, patrons, management bodies and the department, there are sufficient school places available to meet the needs of children in the area. Further additional provision will be made where a need is identified.
The department will continue to liaise with local authorities in respect of their county development plan and any associated local area plans with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements across school planning areas.
86. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education for an update on the programme for Government commitment to create a national therapy service; this be located in the National Council for Special Education or in her Department; when it will start to hire staff; it will start to provide therapy services to children in special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21674/25]
View answerIt is my intention to prioritise the Programme for Government commitment to introduce a National Therapy Service in education, commencing in special schools and subsequently extending to schools with special classes and mainstream provision. This service will be delivered by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), building on the NCSE’s work previously completed through the Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS).
The introduction of a National Therapy Service follows the decision of the Government in 2021 to prioritise the restoration of pre-existing, on-site, health and social care supports for children in special schools. The National Therapy Service will work alongside existing services such as CDNT’s and NEPS to ensure all children and young people have the opportunity to access supports in the right place at the right time, maximising their potential and engagement in their education.
It is intended that the National Therapy Service will commence in some special schools at a later stage in the 2025/26 school year. Further roll out of the service will occur on a phased basis with a wider roll-out commencing in the 2026/27 school year. Initially the service will include the disciplines of Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy, over time further disciplines such as physiotherapy may be included.
Officials in the Department of Education have begun engagement will with relevant Departments and agencies on the design, timelines, alignment, integrated working and costings involved to deliver this ambitious programme of work.
There is a shortage of therapists in Ireland at this time. In terms of managing the recruitment and retention of therapists and following on from the Programme for Government’s commitment to increase training places for crucial disciplines, my Department is engaging with colleagues in the Department of Health, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science alongside the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE to ensure an increase in training places for key disciplines such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists as a matter of priority.
87. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education if, in view of the fact that the HSE has confirmed that it cannot provide a therapist allocation for the 12 new children who were due to start in (details supplied) and the existing 36 children do enjoy the services of allocated therapists, if she will consider asking either the NCSE or the proposed new national therapy service to intervene and provide equivalent therapy services to these 12 additional children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21675/25]
View answerMy Department and the National Council for Special Education (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.
The provision of clinical therapy supports to individual children such as the 12 children mentioned is the responsibility of the HSE. However, as Minister for Education I am committed to ensuring that children have access to additional educational supports required to maximise their potential.
Within my own remit, I am conscious of this government’s ambition, as outlined in the Programme for Government, to extend therapy supports within the education system over time and initially in special schools. Work in this regard has been initiated by department officials with a plan to provide therapeutic provision through education to special schools during the school year 2025/2026. The provision of therapeutic services to special schools will be provided on a phased basis. This will not replace HSE services but rather complement existing supports recognising that special schools in particular support children with complex needs.
In addition, the Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS) was established in June 2024 within the NCSE and will comprise of 39 therapists, initially. ETSS therapists will work in schools to build the capacity of teachers and other school staff. The expansion of therapy services within the NCSE is expected to build on the achievements and impacts of this element of the School Inclusion Model (SIM) pilot programme.
Currently ETSS provides 2 strands of support. Strand I involves Regional Therapy Support and includes Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) seminars with in-school support. It is planned that these supports will be available nationally for the 2025/2026 school year. The second strand, Strand II provides Sustained In-School Therapy for a period of 24 months, in line with the School Inclusion Model (SIM).
The NCSE intends to deliver Strand II of the ETSS initially, in its Eastern and Western regions. Dublin is the base for the Eastern region and 22 schools in this region are currently availing of this service. Limerick has been identified as the most suitable hub for the Western region. It is planned that the Stand II will be available in the Western Region for the 2025/2026 school year.
Regional Therapy Support and Sustained In-School Therapy will be available to all schools in these regions, including special schools, following an application process through the NCSE.
Further recruitment within the NCSE to achieve the full complement of 39 therapists, which is currently ongoing, will assist the NCSE in the delivery and expansion of the services provided above.
You will also be aware that recruitment and retention of clinicians is a significant issue for therapy services. The demand for Health and Social Care Professionals outstrips the supply of these valued professionals. To this end and in line with the commitments made in the Programme for Government 2025, my Department is engaging with colleagues in the Department of Health, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science alongside the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE to ensure an increase in training places for key disciplines such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists as a matter of priority.
