I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question.
The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
The consideration of the accommodation requirements for the school in question forms part of the Planning and Building Unit’s overall assessment of its work programme and priorities in the context of available capital funding.
I can assure the Deputy that the provision of required school places, including for children with special educational needs, is a priority for my Department and my officials are working to ensure that there is sufficient provision to meet the school place needs in the school in question and the wider School Planning Area for future years.
At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
I am pleased to confirm that an offer of accommodation has been made and issued to the school for acceptance on the 10th of May 2024. This offer is for the Reconfiguration of 1 x Mainstream classroom to provide 1 x Special Educational classroom. A response to the offer has not yet been received from the school. My officials remain available to work with the school authorities in relation to this matter.
In relation to the other points raised by the Deputy, requests for additional learning support teachers should be directed to the relevant Teacher Allocations section in Athlone to determine the school entitlements.
I can confirm to the Deputy, that funding of €7,000 is made available by my Department's Loose Furniture & Equipment (F&E) Section for the provision of the start-up of a sensory room within a school. In order to be eligible for the grant, the school must demonstrate it has a National Council for Special Education (NCSE) approved ASD class and that there is a suitable room to house the sensory room. The sensory room must be a separate room from that of the ASD class and must have its own separate entry/exit. Only one Sensory room grant is funded by my Department’s per school.
