Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2026
665. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children identified by the HSE as having additional or complex needs in the past five years which were unable to access educational supports, resources, or placements due to the absence of a formal diagnosis; whether her Department records or monitors unmet needs, arising from diagnosis-based eligibility criteria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10492/26]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for students with special educational needs.
The Special Education Teaching (SET) Allocation Model is a standardised allocation model that provides schools with additional teaching hours to support the teaching needs of students in mainstream classes.
When the model was introduced, it replaced a diagnosis led model with one based on need. This ensures the allocation supports all students that require a level of additional teaching support as identified through the Continuum of Support framework.
For the 2025/26 school year close to 15,000 special education teachers have been allocated to schools to support these children and young people.
It is a matter for schools to deploy SET resources effectively to meet the needs identified in Student Support Plans, based on the continuum of support framework. SET hours should only be used for their intended purpose to support students with a special education learning need.
In order to support the 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.
This notification process will provide the NCSE with critical information on children who continue to need a special class as they progress to post-primary level as well as details on students who require a place for the first time.
My department and the NCSE identify the need for special educational provision with consideration to demographical and statistical data and in regard to an areas existing school provision and future capability. Consideration is also given to the information the NCSE hold at local level on the number of children and young people seeking a special school place in a region.
In addition, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality shares aggregated anonymised data with my department on the numbers of children in services who have availed of Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) level 7 supports through the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) programme. This data sharing has provided insights to the NCSE to help prepare and plan the appropriate provision required in local areas for children transitioning into primary school.
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.
