Liam Quaide
Question:550. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of successful applications for home tuition in each of the years 2020 to 2025, respectively. [6268/26]
View answerTuesday, 27 January 2026
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Written answers
The Home Tuition Grant Scheme is available to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school.
Home tuition is provided as an interim measure only. It is a short-term measure and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement. Aspects of the scheme differ, depending on the reason for the application.
The Department of Education and Youth operates three categories of home tuition:
1. Home tuition for children with special educational needs and on medical grounds.
The purpose of this scheme is to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for:
• Pre-School children with autism who meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria.
• Children seeking a Special School or Special Class placement.
• Students, enrolled in schools, with a significant medical condition which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school.
• Students, enrolled in schools, with school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school.
2. Maternity-related absences. The purpose of this Home Tuition scheme is to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for girls at post-primary level who, due to their pregnancy, are unable to attend school. Maternity Related Home Tuition is intended as an interim provision to assist girls to complete their post-primary education. Provision of tuition under this scheme is for a maximum of 90 hours over a 6-month period from the date of sanction.
3. Reasons other than special educational needs and medical grounds
a. Strand 1 offers a temporary educational measure for a child who is temporarily without a school place, or without the offer of a school place and who is a actively seeking a place in a school recognised by the department. The NSP Home Tuition Scheme provides tuition for a maximum of 12 weeks of 9 hours tuition per week. A re-application may be made when the number of tuition weeks have elapsed.
b. Strand 2 of this scheme is for children in care, who are without a school place due to emergency placement or placement disruption. The CIC Home Tuition Grant Scheme provides tuition for a maximum of 6 weeks for Children in Care for a maximum of 9 hours per week. A re-application may be made when the number of tuition weeks have elapsed.
Below is a data-table relating to Home Tuition Supports approved for each of the past five and current academic school year for the Home Tuition of children with special educational needs and on medical grounds:
|
Year |
Mental Health |
Medical |
Autism Early Intervention (2.5 – 3yrs) |
3+ years |
Requiring / Transitioning to SEN placement |
Total No. of Sanctions |
|
2020/2021 |
347 |
228 |
106 |
670 |
86 |
1437 |
|
2021/2022 |
387 |
195 |
110 |
702 |
69 |
1463 |
|
2022/2023 |
418 |
186 |
98 |
694 |
77 |
1473 |
|
2023/2024 |
398 |
178 |
65 |
683 |
137 |
1461 |
|
2024/2025 |
515 |
189 |
32 |
650 |
205 |
1591 |
|
2025/2026* |
345 |
110 |
18 |
468 |
163** |
1104 |
*Information correct as of 22/01/2026
** It is important to note that in relation to children seeking or transitioning to a special school or class place, the number that were sanctioned is not an indicator of the number of children currently without a school place. 65% of these children are availing of an educational setting with a private group provider, while in the main the remainder will have since received a school place or are transitioning to a school place.
The following data-table represents the numbers of children in receipt of Home Tuition for reasons other than special educational needs and medical grounds:
|
Year |
No School Place |
Children in Care |
Maternity Related |
Total No. of Sanctions |
|
2020/2021 |
159 |
17 |
10 |
186 |
|
2021/2022 |
91 |
13 |
9 |
113 |
|
2022/2023 |
174 |
14 |
6 |
194 |
|
2023/2024 |
185 |
18 |
4 |
207 |
|
2024/2025 |
185 |
11 |
4 |
200 |
|
2025/2026* |
127 |
6 |
3 |
136 |
*Information correct as of 22/01/2026