I propose to take Questions Nos. 235, 236, 238, 239 and 240 together.
The government is committed to the provision of additional special school places for children with more complex educational needs. Over 300 new special school places are being provided for the coming 2025/26 school year. Five new special schools are being established in addition to the eleven new special schools opened over the last few years. Special school capacity is also being expanded across a number of special schools.
As recently announced, my department will begin examining the designation of special schools in the 2025/26 school year. It’s important to note that it is not the intention to exclude children who require a special school place from accessing certain special school settings, but rather allow children with complex educational needs apply to their local special school by broadening the designation of more schools. It is also important to state that this is not an attempt to create what the Deputy describes as "catch all special schools", which is an unfair description for schools which have already been through this process.
Currently, there are instances whereby children with complex needs cannot apply for admission to their local special school simply because they don’t meet the narrow designation of that special school. In that regard, along with providing additional special school capacity, my department and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) consider it necessary to look at the profile of our existing special schools.
This is not a new departure. The NCSE report that over half of mild general learning disability (MGLD) special schools have already changed their policies in order to allow children with more complex needs in their communities who require a special school setting enrol in their local special school. I wish to thank schools who have worked with us to broaden their designation. My department will now engage with and support the remaining schools to embrace this endeavour so that more special schools can better support children with complex needs in their local community. Importantly no child currently enrolled in a MGLD school will be affected by a school predesignating.
There are approximately 30 of our 129 special schools that were originally designated as schools for children with a MGLD. The establishment of these special schools predated the significant expansion in the range of supports offered in mainstream schools through additional special education teaching and special needs assistant resources and through the rapid expansion in special class provision.
It is noted that many of the children enrolling in MGLD special school do so around the transition point from primary to post-primary. The new senior cycle level 1 and level 2 programmes offers a new curriculum pathway for students with special educational needs at post-primary level now also.
