Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2026
643. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to address the discrepancy in post primary special education places (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10339/26]
View answer644. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures which have been put in place to address the concerns uncovered in the report ''Supporting all Children and Young People to Access an Appropriate Education'. [10340/26]
View answer645. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the three steps in the conclusion of 'Supporting all Children and Young People to Access an Appropriate Education'. [10341/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 643, 644 and 645 together.
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.
My colleague former Minister for Education and Youth, Helen McEntee TD, wrote to to all patron bodies in May 2025 requesting that they review the admissions policies to schools with special education classes. This followed the publication of a review by the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Youth of admission policies of primary and post-primary schools with special classes for autistic children and young people.
The report, Supporting all Children and Young People to Access an Appropriate Education: A review of the admission policies of primary and post-primary schools with special classes for autistic children and young people, drew on the findings from a review of the admissions policies of thirty schools—fifteen primary and fifteen post primary—carried out between September and December 2024.
The Inspectorate have been requested to provide an annual written report on the implementation of admission policies in primary and post primary schools with special classes for autistic children and young people, and the Inspectorate will be providing the first of these annual reports to her in May of this year.
Under the Education Act, 1998 each school must publish an Admissions Policy and an Annual Admissions Notice. The published admission policy sets out the selection criteria for admission to school. The annual admission notice sets out the number of places that are available and the timeline for accepting and processing applications for admission.
This information should be published on the school’s website and be available on request by contacting the school directly.
In order to support the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and forward planning my department published Circular 0039/2025. This circular informs school management and patrons of measures introduced to support forward planning and reiterates the need for parents to inform the NCSE through the Parent Notify process that they are seeking a special educational placement for their child.
My department and the NCSE continue to work closely with school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools to confirm new special classes for the next school year 2026/2027. The NCSE began sanctioning new special classes last month, which is several months earlier than last year. 301 have been sanctioned to date and many more new special classes will be confirmed in the coming weeks. The earlier sanctioning of new classes provides clarity for parents and allows schools more time for the planning and establishment of new special classes. The vast majority of new special classes being announced are being provided in available school accommodation which is being reconfigured as a special class. Details of the new special classes are available on the NCSE website.
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.
