Special Educational Needs

Thursday, 11 December 2025

Questions (126)

Joe Cooney

Question:

126. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Education and Youth the location, pupil numbers and maximum capacity by class for ASD units in each primary and post-primary school in County Clare, for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [69532/25]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth

This government is fully committed to supporting students with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.

Through the accelerated provision of additional special class and special school places over recent years, there are now over 30,000 students enrolled in special classes and special schools. 2,700 new places were created for the 2025/26 school year and these, together with the over 1,200 existing places due to students moving on from primary schools and post-primary schools, has meant that close to 4,000 specialist places were made available for the 2025/26 school year.

407 new special classes were sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year. Of these 7 are in County Clare, 3 at primary and 4 at post-primary level.

This brings to 83 the number of special classes currently in operation in the county. There are also 2 special schools in County Clare with approximately 247 students enrolled.

A list of schools with special classes, broken by location and class designation is published annually by the NCSE on their [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 expected that many of these special classes will be sanctioned by 31 December 2025.

My department and the 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.