Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 February 2025
96. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education the number of notifications received by the NCSE from parents and guardians by the 1 February 2025 deadline pursuant to her Department’s circular 0080/2024 by county, and by category of need, in tabular form. [3830/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs you are aware enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for government. Thanks to considerable investment in special education in recent years 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 National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs.
My department works closely with the NCSE on the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. Building on successive budgets, Budget 2025 secured funding for up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools, and an additional 300 special school places for the 2025/26 school year. This will deliver 2,700 new special education places for children.
The NCSE recently recruited additional special educational needs officers (SENOs), advisors and team managers. 120 SENOs now operate nationwide, three of these are operating solely in County Waterford. 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. Over 1,000 school planning visits have occurred in recent months. These planning visits have been key to the NCSE in determining what new provision can be provided. It is expected that the NCSE will sanction a number of new special classes for the 2025/26 school year in the coming weeks.
In October 2024, my department issued a circular letter (0080/2024) to all schools setting out a number of new measures to support the work of the NCSE in forward planning for special education provision. My Department consulted with special education advocacy groups, parent representative bodies and education stakeholders in drafting the new circular letter.
The circular letter also set out a new process whereby parents of a child with special educational needs would notify the NCSE, as early as possible, if a special class or special school place was being sought. In providing this key data to aid planning its also allows the NCSE to provide advice and information to parents on the supports available.
The notifications received are now being examined and validated by the NCSE. Local SENOs are making contact with parents and schools and seeking further information where required. As this is the first year of this new process being in place, the NCSE may also be aware of children needing a special education placement who may have not come through the new notification process.
The recent school closures and impact of Storm Eowyn on households may also mean there is a slight delay in notifications in some instances. Parents are free to continue to notify the NCSE of the need for special class or special school places for their child on an ongoing basis as well.
Once the NCSE has all the relevant reports and verified information on the number of children requiring a school place they will inform my department. A direct response will be provided to the Deputy on this issue in due course as well as soon as the information is available.
My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements will be available for children this September and beyond.
