Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 July 2026
96. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to improve special needs education provision since January 2025; her priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51940/26]
View answerThis 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.
In 2026, over €3 billion will be spent supporting students with special educational needs. It will ensure that specialist capacity continues to grow by providing 3,000 specialist places. The majority of these places will be available in special classes within mainstream schools. It will increase our special educational posts by 860 special education teacher and over 1,700 special needs assistant (SNA) posts. This will mean we will have almost 46,000 professionals dedicated to supporting students with special educational needs in our schools. This is one of the highest annual increases in posts to date and is a firm reminder of this government’s commitment to supporting students with special educational needs.
Budget 2026 has also afforded a number of new initiatives such as funding for the roll out of the Education Therapy Service (ETS), the introduction of extra special education teaching hours for post-primary schools to support coordination and transition efforts and indeed a special school package to support the unique challenges these schools face.
My department and the National Council for Special Education have sanctioned 584 new special classes for the 2026/27 school year, including 68 inclusive special classes. This brings the total number of special classes sanctioned to date to over 4,300. Further new special classes may be confirmed in the coming weeks, if required.
Four new special schools were recently announced by Ministers Naughton and I to be established in Balbriggan, CityWest, Bray and Monasterevin. My department and the NCSE will also, this year, look at the profile of existing special schools. This work will ensure children and young people with complex educational needs can apply to their local special school and not have to travel long distances to access an education that meets their needs.
On the 3 June, my department published the first ever SNA Workforce Development Plan, a landmark in the roadmap for the development of special education. Built around five strategic pillars, the Plan recognises the vital contribution SNAs make to supporting children and young people with special educational needs to facilitate their attendance, participation and inclusion in school life. It sets out a clear framework to strengthen and support SNAs through enhanced professional development, greater role clarity, workforce sustainability measures and stronger collaboration across school communities.
Details of the 2026 Summer Programme were published on the 6th May 2026 and all schools have been offered the opportunity to run a school-based programme.
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.
