Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 May 2026
75. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of available places in special schools for 13-15 year-olds within the Lucan school planning area; the schools in which these places are available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40350/26]
View answer76. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of available places in special schools for 13-15 year-olds across west Dublin and Kildare; the schools in which these places are available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40351/26]
View answer77. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of available places in special schools for 16-18 year-olds within the Lucan school planning area; the schools in which these places are available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40352/26]
View answer78. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of available places in special schools for 16-18 year-olds across west Dublin and Kildare; the schools in which these places are available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40353/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 75, 76, 77 and 78 together.
The 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.
A list of all mainstream and special schools is available on my department's website on gov.ie. In addition, a list of schools with special classes; broken by location and class designation is available on the NCSE [website].
There continues to be an increasing need to provide additional special school places to support students with complex needs. To meet this need, sixteen new special schools have been established in recent years, and capacity has been expanded in a number of others. Five of these were established for the 2025/26 school year in counties, Cork, Dublin (2), Monaghan and Tipperary.
I recently announced the establishment of four new special schools for the upcoming school year 2026/2027; a vital step in ensuring that children and young people with special educational needs have access to the specialist supports and environment they need to thrive and reach their full potential.
The four new special schools will be located in Balbriggan and Citywest in Co. Dublin, Bray in Co. Wicklow, and Monasterevin in Co. Kildare.
When looking to provide additional capacity the department’s preferred option is to increase provision in existing special schools if possible. Where this is not possible in a region, the department and NCSE will consider the need to establish a new special school.
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.
Enrolments to individual schools are managed by a school’s board of management.
Parents may apply to enrol their child in a school of their choosing. Enrolments to schools are a matter for each board of management and parents apply directly to schools, therefore, the information requested by the Deputy is held at a local level.
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 achieve their full potential.
