Special Educational Needs

Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Questions (380)

Thomas Gould

Question:

380. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education and Youth the engagement her Department has had with a school (details supplied), regarding the provision of ASD places in the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31816/25]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth

This 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.

As Minister the NCSE and my department have all had intensive engagements with the school referred to by the Deputy regarding establishing a special class. However the school does not have available place at this time to accommodate a class.

The NCSE focused on medium and larger primary schools with available accommodation and no existing special class to open a new special class for the 2025/26 school year. This has ensured that classes can open quickly as existing accommodation can be reconfigured in a more streamlined and efficient manner but also that new provision is established in as many schools as possible. This provides parents more options when deciding which schools to apply to and ensures that provision continues to grow in a diverse number of schools across regions. This should also help in reducing the distances that some children are travelling to access a special class place. This focus will remain when planning for the 2026/27 school year.

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.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs.