Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2024
34. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education the reason schools are not receiving funding to open special classes where there is demand for same and a recommendation by a local SENO; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44917/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, almost 1,700 classes have been opened in the last 5 years and 11 new special schools have also been established and many more expanded. For this school year alone over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned bringing the total number of special classes nationwide to 3,337. 48 of these classes are in County Roscommon, 7 are new for the 2024/25 school year, 6 at primary level and 1 at post-primary level.
Budget 2025 provides funding for another 400 special classes and 300 special school places for the 2025/2026 school year.
I think that by any measure, given the continued acceleration of special education provision, it is not fair to say that schools are not receiving funding to open special classes. I would like to assure the Deputy that this is not the case.
In relation to the forward planning of special classes, my Department considers it prudent to maximise the use of existing accommodation in schools, within geographic areas, when looking to establish a special class in the first instance. This consideration is prior to the establishment of any additional special class that may require additional accommodation e.g., modular accommodation.
If there is no available accommodation, particularly at post-primary level and special school level, my department will continue to provide additional classroom accommodation to provide necessary places. At primary level, as enrolments are estimated to drop considerably over the next few years it is expected that some schools will have available accommodation that can be repurposed as a special class.
The refurbishment of an available classroom can ensure that a new special class is available quickly and it can help a school to retain an experienced teacher if general enrolments are falling.
This overall approach is consistent with the department’s commitment to supporting the educational needs of children who require specialist placements while at the same time meeting the requirements of the government’s infrastructure guidelines.
The NCSE has recruited additional special education needs organisers (SENOs), advisors and team managers. There is now a SENO dedicated solely to County Roscommon. SENOs are currently visiting schools to conduct planning meetings. These visits will be key in terms of forward planning for the 2025/26 school year. The NCSE is specifically targeting medium and larger primary schools who don’t yet have a special class to open a new special class,
My department and the NCSE are engaging with schools and school management bodies in relation to the provision of future special classes and are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements will be available for children for the next school year and future years.
The NCSE actively encourages expressions of interest from schools to open special classes, and I appreciate and commend the efforts taken by boards of management in expressing their interest.
I would ask any school that is interested in opening a new special class to continue to engage at local level with the NCSE in the first instance.
