Written Answers Nos. 420-439
420. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education the position in relation to the opening of an ASD class in a secondary school in County Cork (details supplied); if she will examine this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44489/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.
The NCSE has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide. As your query refers to an individual school, I will arrange to have it referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes. Local SENOs are available to assist and advise parents on their options and the supports available.
Almost 1,700 classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE in recent years, in this time 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.
563 of these classes are in County Cork, 66 are new for the 2024/25 school year, 43 at primary level and 23 at post-primary level. The vast majority of these are autism classes and have a teacher/student ratio of 1:6.
Budget 2025 provides funding for another 400 special classes and 300 special school places nationwide and it is estimated that a similar level of provision will be needed each year for the next 3 years.
The NCSE have recruited additional special education needs organisers (SENOs), advisors and team managers. The total number of SENOs has increased nationwide to 120. SENOs play an important role in ensuring there is adequate special educational provision within local areas. The are now 18 SENOs operating in County Cork. These 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.
As indicated to all post-primary schools in 2022 and again this year, they should begin planning to provide on average 4 special classes each.
Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes. Local SENOs are available to assist and advise parents on their options and the supports available.
421. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education if there are any financial or other supports available to mother who is homeschooling her seven children of various ages under home tuition; to outline the details of same or how to apply; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44495/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Constitution of Ireland acknowledges the family as the primary and natural educator of the child and sets out the rights and duties of the State in the matter of education. The Constitution makes explicit that the State does not oblige parents to send their children to any particular type of school. Parents are free to provide education in their homes, in private schools, or in schools recognised or established by the State.
In line with the provisions of Section 14(1) of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, Tusla’s Alternative Education Assessment and Registration Service (AEARS) is responsible for the regulation of the provision of education for children in places other than in a recognised school, including children who are homeschooled or who are enrolled in a non-recognised independent school. This is to ensure that such children receive a certain minimum education.
Parents who wish to educate their child in a place other than a recognised school, including in their home or in non-recognised independent school, are required to make an application to AEARS to have their child included on the Section 14 Statutory Register. The AEARS will then make an assessment of the educational provision to determine if the child is eligible to be placed on the Section 14 Statutory Register. Assessments at non-recognised Independent schools are carried out by an authorised person in line with the ‘Guidelines on the Assessment of Education in Places other than a Recognised School’, issued by my Department.
There is no funding available from my Department, to assist with the cost of education, where parents choose to educate their child in a place other than in a recognised school.
422. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education if her Department is aware of the costs associated with a process (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44496/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs provided for under the rules of the relevant pension scheme, in general, public sector employees including teaching and other pensionable employees in the education sector, may apply for retirement pension benefit on medical grounds. In the case of employees on the payroll of my Department, the application process involves a medical assessment by Medmark, the current Occupational Health Service (OHS). This establishes if the person is medically incapacitated and, if so, that the medical issue is likely to be permanent.
The ill health retirement process provides the pension scheme member with an initial assessment from the Occupational Health service provider and there is no cost involved for this initial assessment to the applicant.
In the event the member is deemed not suitable for ill health retirement, the member has the right to appeal this decision. In this instance the member is referred by the OHS to an independent medical practitioner. The OHS have selected a number of independent registered medical practitioners, who are suitably qualified to assess medical fitness for work, to review these appeals. The cost of the medical assessment element of any appeal must be borne by the member. In the event that the appeal is successful the cost will be refunded to the member.
423. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education to provide a breakdown of the number of SNAs employed in Meath in the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, in tabular form. [44518/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraSpecial needs assistants (SNAs) play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs into mainstream education, special classes and special schools ensuring that these students can access education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.
The NCSE has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs. Allocations are provided to schools on the basis of the school's overall profile of need. As a result, the number of students supported by SNAs varies from school to school.
When the NCSE allocates a SNA post, the board of management as the employer, is responsible for filling the vacancy. The decision on whether to employ a full time SNA to fill a full-time post or to employ an equivalent number of part time SNAs rests with the employer. Therefore data on the number of SNAs employed is held at a local level.
The NCSE publish their allocation of SNA posts annually on their website. For ease of reference these allocations are broken down by county and school type. This data is available at the following link: www.ncse.ie/set-hours-and-sna-allocations
We have been steadily building on the number of SNAs in our education system. At the end of the 2023 school year there was just over 21,000 SNAs in schools, double the number there were in 2011. Budget 2024 provided for 1,216 new SNA posts and Budget 2025 for a further 1,600.
424. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education to provide a breakdown of the number of vacant teaching posts in Meath in the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, in tabular form. [44519/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnsuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government.
The recruitment and appointment of teachers for teaching positions is managed by individual school authorities. There are over 3,700 individual school authorities, responsible for this process, including boards of management at primary and post-primary schools, as well as Education and Training Boards (ETBs).
While my Department does not collect data on the recruitment by individual employers, an analysis of the Department’s payroll system is being undertaken to generate statistics on the teacher workforce. This will include statistics on the full time equivalents (FTE), permanent and fixed contracts, with breakdowns possible by county. These data are expected to be available in the near future.
Schools that experience recruitment challenges can avail of a number of supports that my department has implemented including:
• providing for the provision of supply panels at primary level; for the 2024/25 school year, 591 substitute teacher supply posts have been allocated to 167 panels, covering 2,900 schools.
• enabling student teachers to substitute; over 3,700 student teachers were registered with the Teaching Council to substitute in June 2024, up from 2,700 that were registered in the previous school year.
• enabling newly qualified teachers (NQTs) employed in primary schools to complete the Droichead process while employed on a Supply Panel or Principal Release Time Post, increasing the attractiveness of these posts.
• increasing the pool of teachers available to undertake substitute work, through the continued suspension of the usual limits on career break and job-sharing schemes and the continuation of the teaching hours’ extension scheme in post-primary schools to 2024/25 school year.
• encouraging retired teachers to work as substitute teachers; in the 2023/24 school year, over 1,700 retired teachers provided substitute cover, an increase of 12% on the previous year.
As of March 2024, a record 78,646 teachers were employed. There are less than 1% resignations in the Primary sector every year and 1.6% in Post Primary. The number of teachers who retired over the past number of years has varied, with 932 in 2013 and 1,074 in 2023.
While most teaching positions are filled, some schools face significant recruitment challenges. To address teacher supply issues, the Department has implemented several measures that have led to:
• an increase of 20% in Initial Teacher Education graduates (student teachers) between 2018 and 2023, and a 30% increase in the number registered with the Teaching Council since 2017, and
• a 16.7% increase in the number of teaching posts allocated to post-primary, and an increase of 13.3% allocated to primary between 2017/18 and 2023/24.
Recent Budget measures introduced reflect this Government’s commitment to ongoing investment in the education system to address teacher supply issues. Key initiatives include:
• Budget 2025 included a bursary for student teachers to increase the number of qualified STEM (including science, maths, chemistry, physics, engineering) teachers in post-primary schools. The bursary, a €2k payment each year for the final two years of their undergraduate initial teacher education programme, is contingent on a commitment to complete a minimum 2 years post-qualification teaching service in a recognised post primary school.
• Budget 2024 also included the expansion of upskilling programmes, free to teachers, aimed at increasing the number of qualified teachers in high-demand subjects and reducing out-of-field teaching. New programmes in Irish, French, politics & society, and computer science will complement existing programmes in maths, physics, and Spanish. Trinity College Dublin will deliver the new Irish upskilling programme for post-primary.
• Budget 2025 continued funding for free upskilling courses for teachers in high-demand subject areas (Irish, French, Spanish, maths, computer science, physics, politics & society).
• Budget 2024 introduced a €2,000 bursary-style fee refund for teachers graduating with a Professional Master of Education (PME) in 2024. This payment, to be made in 2025, aims to encourage newly qualified primary and post-primary teachers to take up teaching roles. A circular issued in September from my department setting out the eligibility criteria.
Teaching is an attractive career choice:
• With 3,700 newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2024 and over 123,000 now on the register.
• Analysis of CAO applications spanning from 2017 to 2024 indicates a sustained and robust demand for undergraduate teaching programmes. On average, 6% of first preference applications during the period from 2017 to 2024 were for either primary or post-primary teaching programmes.
• The new pay deal will mean that teachers’ starting salary will increase to €46,000 rising to a maximum of €85,000 per year which compares well internationally.
The Department frequently consults stakeholders on issues such as teacher supply through industrial relations forums, sectoral meetings, and direct discussions with teacher unions. Additionally, a project, supported by UNESCO and the EU Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support, began recently, focusing on strategic workforce planning for teachers in Ireland.
425. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education when an assessment will be carried out on a child (details supplied) considering that concerns were first raised two years ago; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44533/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to Deputy Ring's question on the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).
NEPS is the psychological service of the Department of Education and provides educational psychology support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools. NEPS is a schools-based service and each NEPS psychologist is assigned to a group of schools.
NEPS provides access for all schools to:
• Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident
• A casework service for individual students where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA)
• A school staff Support and Development Service, to build school capability to provide a comprehensive continuum of support in schools
• Ongoing access to advice and support for schools
The focus of the NEPS service is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with children and young people whose needs range from mild to severe, and transient to enduring. NEPS encourages schools to implement a Continuum of Support, with each school taking responsibility for providing universal and preventative approaches, as well as early assessment, educational planning and intervention where the need arises. Children do not require a psychological assessment or a diagnosis in order to access additional support at school.
Direct NEPS involvement is managed through the Casework Service for individual children and young people. If, following evidence-informed support and intervention, the school has concerns that a child is still experiencing significant difficulty, the school may request the direct involvement of the NEPS psychologist. Children can only be prioritised for direct NEPS involvement by the school principal, or by a staff member designated by the principal. A request for involvement is accepted from the school principal in consultation with the psychologist. When deciding who to prioritise for involvement with NEPS, school principals consider those students who present with the greatest level of need, in that particular school context.
In relation to the student referred to, the parents or guardians should discuss any concerns with the school principal and/or teachers in their student's school to further explore how their child may be supported through the Continuum of Support process described above, and if appropriate, through the direct involvement of the NEPS Psychologist assigned to the school.
426. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education if she will intervene to allow a path to be opened while ownership discussions take place (details supplied). [44547/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are a number of elements to complete in relation to the construction of the bridge referred to by the Deputy such as the close out of the defects snagging process and installation of public lighting and work is progressing in this regard.
The local authority has committed to commencing the 'taking in charge' process in relation to the bridge and my Department's project managers have made contact with the relevant area in the local authority in this regard.
Once the above processes are complete, the bridge could be opened to the public as part of the Ballybrack Greenway.
427. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 162 of 24 September 2024, if there is a further update on the status of a new school building for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44605/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter the department’s pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The project will provide five mainstream classrooms, one SET room and a two classroom Special Education Needs (SEN) base. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery.
The project remains under careful review from a technical and cost perspective as we are committed to a thorough evaluation to ensure compliance with costs, procedural standards, and the project scope. It is not possible to estimate the duration of this review however my Department will endeavour to review as early as possible.
Once Stage 1 report review is concluded my department will be in touch with the school authority on how best to progress this important project.
428. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education to provide an update on the need for capital funding for an extension for a school (details supplied) for the purpose of providing additional special classes. [44608/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide 2 Classroom SEN Base. The project has been devolved to the school authority for delivery.
A Stage 2b architectural report was received by my Department and reviewed from both a technical and cost perspective. The review was completed in August 2024 and the project was advanced to the tender stage.
It is now within the remit of the school authority to progress this project accordingly.
429. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education to Parliamentary Question No. 317 of 12 December 2023, to provide an update on the request to consider the acquisition of additional land at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44630/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that a project was approved in 2023 under the Additional Schools Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for the school in question. This project is currently at stage 4 and will deliver an additional mainstream classroom and two special education tuition rooms in modular accommodation to the school.
The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area.
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 a new SEN class has been sanctioned by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
I can confirm to the Deputy that a request was received by my department in December 2023 to consider funding in relation to the associated costs of a land exchange at the school in question. Officials from my department made contact with the patron’s representative and the chairperson of the Board of Management and advised that the department was not in a position to fund such costs.
I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not provide funding for site extensions where the original site is not in state ownership. In these cases it is a matter for the Board of Management or the Patron to purchase any site extension required or to cover any costs related thereto.
430. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education to provide a breakdown of the number of school places available in secondary schools and in primary schools, respectively in Meath in each of the years 2020 to 2024; the number of children who were unable to secure school places in secondary schools and in primary schools, respectively in Meath in the same period, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44656/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe requested information is set out in the table for the years 2020 to 2023, 2023 being the last year we have final enrolment data for.
|
County Meath Enrolments 2020-2023 |
|||
|
Year |
Primary |
Post-primary |
Total |
|
2020 |
26,977 |
15,751 |
42,728 |
|
2021 |
26,516 |
16,241 |
42,757 |
|
2022 |
26,425 |
17,133 |
43,558 |
|
2023 |
26,187 |
17,677 |
43,864 |
Please note that data is taken from the primary and post-primary online databases for pupils enrolled in a school in county Meath. Enrolment data is as per the census date, 30th September, for each academic year.
In order to plan for school place needs, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform the Department's projections of school place requirements.
It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not always be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
• Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area
• School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area
• Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils
• External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area
The Department has been putting in place a number of measures to support parents and post-primary schools, with a view to helping the admissions process for 2025/26 run as smoothly as possible.
Firstly, the Department has written to all parents and guardians of children in sixth class with advice and guidance regarding the admissions process for post-primary for the 2025/26 school year. This letter advised parents to apply to multiple schools in areas where there is high demand and requested parents to take steps to avoid holding multiple places.
Secondly, the Department has improved the central Post-Primary On-line Database IT system that schools use to register student enrolments. This is an important improvement and is available to assist schools to manage the enrolment process and provide real-time notification to schools where a new student has accepted a school place in more than one school. This will help identify duplicate enrolments at a very early stage.
Furthermore, the successful data-sharing arrangements that were implemented for the 2024/25 admissions process in areas of enrolment pressure, including areas in counties Kildare, Wicklow, Dublin, Galway and Cork, will be put in place again for the 2025/26 process. It is expected that, as in previous years, the data sharing will provide confidence that there is sufficient school place availability in the majority of areas. However, if a shortfall of places is identified in an area, the Department will work with schools to put the necessary solutions in place.
The Educational Welfare Services of the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, is the statutory agency that can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The local service is delivered through the national network of Educational Welfare Officers. Contact details are available on Tusla’s website.
431. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education to provide a breakdown of the number of school places available in secondary schools and in primary schools, respectively in Meath East in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, in tabular form; the number of children who were unable to secure school places in secondary schools and in primary schools, respectively in Meath East in the same period, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44657/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe requested information is set out in the table for the years 2020 to 2023, 2023 being the last year we have final enrolment data for.
|
Meath East Constituency Enrolments 2020-2023 |
|||
|
Year |
Primary |
Post-primary |
Total |
|
2020 |
13,237 |
7,293 |
20,530 |
|
2021 |
13,084 |
7,445 |
20,529 |
|
2022 |
13,082 |
7,785 |
20,867 |
|
2023 |
12,968 |
7,901 |
20,869 |
Please note that data is taken from the primary and post-primary online databases for pupils enrolled in a school in county Meath. Enrolment data is as per the census date, 30th September, for each academic year.
In order to plan for school place needs, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform the Department's projections of school place requirements.
It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not always be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
• Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area
• School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area
• Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils
• External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area
The Department has been putting in place a number of measures to support parents and post-primary schools, with a view to helping the admissions process for 2025/26 run as smoothly as possible.
Firstly, the Department has written to all parents and guardians of children in sixth class with advice and guidance regarding the admissions process for post-primary for the 2025/26 school year. This letter advised parents to apply to multiple schools in areas where there is high demand and requested parents to take steps to avoid holding multiple places.
Secondly, the Department has improved the central Post-Primary On-line Database IT system that schools use to register student enrolments. This is an important improvement and is available to assist schools to manage the enrolment process and provide real-time notification to schools where a new student has accepted a school place in more than one school. This will help identify duplicate enrolments at a very early stage.
Furthermore, the successful data-sharing arrangements that were implemented for the 2024/25 admissions process in areas of enrolment pressure, including areas in counties Kildare, Wicklow, Dublin, Galway and Cork, will be put in place again for the 2025/26 process. It is expected that, as in previous years, the data sharing will provide confidence that there is sufficient school place availability in the majority of areas. However, if a shortfall of places is identified in an area, the Department will work with schools to put the necessary solutions in place.
The Educational Welfare Services of the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, is the statutory agency that can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The local service is delivered through the national network of Educational Welfare Officers. Contact details are available on Tusla’s website.
432. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education to provide a breakdown of both primary and secondary school places available for children with special needs in Meath in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 to date, in tabular form; to provide a breakdown of both primary and secondary school places available for children with special needs in Meath east in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44658/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra433. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education about the capacity to cater for children with special needs in the education system in Meath; how many special needs classes are there in secondary schools; what proportion of secondary schools have special needs classes; how many SNAs are currently in employment and how many children with SENs does this cater for; what proportion of primary schools have special needs classes; how many SNAs are currently in employment and how many children with SENs does this cater for; if she is satisfied that the education needs of children with SENs are being met in a secondary education setting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44659/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra434. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education about the capacity to cater for children with special needs in the education system in Meath East; how many special needs classes are there in primary schools; what proportion of secondary schools have special needs classes; how many SNAs are currently in employment and how many children with SENs this caters for; what proportion of primary schools have special needs classes; how many SNAs are currently in employment and how many children with SENs this caters for; if she is satisfied that the education needs of children with SENs are being met in a secondary education setting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44661/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra435. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education if she will report on the number of school places for children with special educational needs in County Meath in each of the years 2020 to 2024, broken down by primary and secondary school places, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44663/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra436. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education if she will report on the number of school places for children with special educational needs in Meath East in each of the years 2020 to 2024 broken down by primary and secondary school places, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44664/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra440. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the plans in place to increase the number of special school places for children in Meath who NEPS assessments specifically recommend for such a place, given the insufficient capacity at present; the number of places to be brought on stream in the next two years; and the location of these places. [44670/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 432 to 436, inclusive, and 440 together.
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The NCSE has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide.
When the NCSE allocates a special needs assistant (SNA) post, the board of management as the employer, is responsible for filling the vacancy. The decision on whether to employ a full time SNA to fill a full-time post or to employ an equivalent number of part time SNAs rests with the employer. Therefore, data on the number of SNAs employed is held at a local level.
The NCSE publish their allocation of SNA posts annually on their website. For ease of reference these allocations are broken down by county and school type. This data is available at the following link: www.ncse.ie/set-hours-and-sna-allocations
The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.
There are three special schools in County Meath supporting 220 children. One of these schools, Cara Community Special School located in Enfield opened its doors on 10 September this year. It initially enrolled eighteen students.
Of the 3,337 special classes nationwide 156 are in County Meath, 116 at primary and 40 at post primary level with capacity for 948 students. 23 of these are new for the 2024/25 school year, 16 at primary level and 7 at post-primary level. The vast majority of these classes are autism classes and have a teacher/student ratio of 1:6. The information at the link provides a breakdown of these classes.
There are 139 mainstream schools in County Meath and of these 50% have at least one special class. This equated to 36% of primary schools and at post-primary level this increases to 78%.
As demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the next few years, due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates, my department and the NCSE have engaged with post-primary stakeholders in relation to the provision of special classes.
In October 2022, my department wrote to all post-primary schools requesting that each school begin planning to provide for up to four special classes to meet the needs of children progressing from primary school. Just last month my department issued a circular to all schools setting out new measures to support the forward planning of special education provision. Included in this circular was a reminder of the need for post primary schools to continue planning for this level of provision.
The table below provides an overview of the number of special classes in County Meath from 2019 to 2024.
|
School Year |
2019/20 |
2020/21 |
2021/22 |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
|
Primary |
Not available |
Not available |
63 |
85 |
100 |
116 |
|
Post-Primary |
Not available |
Not available |
22 |
25 |
32 |
40 |
|
Total |
66 |
70 |
85 |
110 |
132 |
156 |
The second table provides a breakdown of these classes in Meath East for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 school years.
|
School Year |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
|
Primary |
40 |
40 |
|
Post-Primary |
17 |
20 |
|
Total |
57 |
66 |
Almost 1,700 classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE over the last 5 years, in this time 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.
Budget 2025 provides funding for another 400 special classes and 300 special school places nationwide and it is estimated that a similar level of provision will be needed each year for the next 3 years.
There remains a strong emphasis on forward planning. The NCSE have recruited additional special education needs organisers (SENOs), advisors and team managers. A total of 120 SENOs now operate nationwide, five of these are operating solely in County Meath. SENOs play an important role in ensuring there is adequate special educational provision within local areas and are currently visiting schools nationwide to conduct planning meetings. These visits will be key in terms of forward planning for the 2025/26 school year.
Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes. Local SENOs are available to assist and advise parents on their options and the supports available.
437. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education to outline the current expenditure pre-committed to her Department for responding to demographic pressures and pay in Meath East as regards special educational needs in each of the years 2025 to 2029, in tabular form. [44667/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra438. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the current expenditure pre-committed to her Department for responding to demographic pressures and pay in Meath as regards special educational needs in each of the years 2025 to 2029, in tabular form. [44668/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 437 and 438 together.
My Department’s voted estimate for capital and current expenditure for 2025 stands at €11.8 Billion. This represents an increase of over €3.1 Billion or 36% since 2020 and includes €7.6 billion for pay related expenditure. Budget 2025 provides an increase of €712 million in core current funding to my Department's Vote, as well as over €360 million in core capital funding. An additional €120 million is also being provided as part of Cost of Living supports and €140 million in Ukraine related supports. These additional funds build on significant increases in recent budgets and further enhance the investment in Ireland’s primary and post-primary education system. The significant increased investment is the largest Education budget in the history of the state and reflects the Government’s commitment to a quality inclusive school system and improved learning outcomes for every student.
Over recent and current budgets, additional resources have been made available to our schools, including through the delivery of thousands of extra teaching and Special Needs Assistant posts, increased capitation in schools and investment in school transport services, enhanced supports for school leadership and management, additional supports for special schools, reduced class sizes in primary schools, significant expansion of the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) scheme, enhanced capacity to meet the increased number of pupils enrolled in our schools and special educational needs pupils in special classes and special schools, increased funding for social inclusion programmes, measures to increase the supply of teachers available and free school books for primary and post primary students. Significant additional resources and supports were also provided in response to the Ukraine, Cost of Living and Covid-19 crises.
The 2024 Summer Economic Statement outlines on page 21 in tabular form the Government's medium term expenditure strategy for 2025 to 2030, showing the current expenditure ceiling increasing by a further 5 per cent per annum from 2026 to 2030. The Summer Economic Statement is available at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/ee21b-summer-economic-statement-2024/
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for my Department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). Budget 2025 provides for a record level of investment of €2.9 billion in special education which represents a 6% increase on 2024 and provides for an additional 768 special education teachers and 1,600 special needs assistants (SNAs) posts to support children across mainstream, special classes and special schools. This is the highest ever number of SNAs allocated and so in 2025 we will have over 23,000 in our education system. In total there will be over 44,000 dedicated staff to support children with special educational needs in our schools. The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.
The Department of Education and the NCSE work closely in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. A number of strategic initiatives have been introduced over recent years to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places. These initiatives are bearing fruit with almost 1,700 new special classes sanctioned and eleven new special schools established over the last five years. Many more special schools have been extended to provide additional capacity. Over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned nationwide by the NCSE for this school year. This brings to 3,337 the number of special classes in the country, 2,339 at primary level and 998 at post-primary level. 23 of these new special classes will open in Co. Meath. This brings to 156 the total number of special classes in Co. Meath for the 2024/25 school year. In addition, 4 new special schools have opened for this school year. One of these new special schools, Cara Community Special School, is located in Co. Meath and this brings the total number of special schools in Co. Meath to 3 for the 2024/25 school year.
The financial budgets for my Department are not allocated or recorded on a county basis. I am, therefore, not in a position to provide specific details on the amounts allocated to Co. Meath or Meath East. I can, however, indicate that the measures cited above will have a positive impact on school communities in Meath.
439. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education to provide an update on the special school in Meath due to open for the coming school year (details supplied). [44669/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.
Cara Community Special School located in Enfield County Meath opened on 10 September 2024. It initially enrolled eighteen students. It's patron is Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB). My department have been supporting the patron and the school in its establishment.
11 new special schools have been established and many more expanded, four of these are new special schools for this school year. These schools have opened in counties Kildare, Limerick, Meath and Wexford. In addition almost 1,700 classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE in recent years, For this school year alone over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned bringing the total number of special classes nationwide to 3,337. 156 of these classes are in County Meath, 23 are new for this school year, 16 in primary and 7 at post-primary level.
Just last month Minster Foley and I announced that another five special schools will be established for the next school year 2025/26 in counties Cork, Dublin (2), Monaghan and Tipperary. The exact location, size of the schools and other details are currently being worked through.
These special schools will provide for children and young people with complex special education needs up to 18 years of age. They have been sanctioned as early as possible as part of advanced forward planning for the next school year to ensure that appropriate placements are available where needed to meet the needs of students with special educational needs.
