Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 November 2025
449. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in Cork who received eligibility letters for special class placement but were advised by schools to apply to multiple schools due to lack of transparency or clarity in the admissions process. [64990/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra450. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the NCSE has completed any assessment on the administrative burden placed on parents seeking autism-specific placements in Cork, and whether improvements are planned for 2026. [64991/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 449 and 450 together.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for children with special educational needs.
Close to 4,000 specialist places were made available for the 2025/26 school year. This was made up of 2,700 new places and 1,200 places through the natural movement of students from primary to post-primary or out of education.
The NCSE has advised my department just under 3,300 valid notifications were received by mid-February via their new parent notify service. While parents were asked to notify the NCSE by mid-February the NCSE received further notifications after this date. The NCSE advise that a number of vacancies remain in every county in the country including in County Cork. I urge any parent still seeking placement to make contact with the NCSE who will provide guidance and support with securing a placement.
For the 2026/27 school year parents were asked to notify the NCSE by the 1 October 2025, four months earlier than last year. This date coincides with when schools can begin the enrolment process. When a parent notifies the NCSE that they are seeking placement the NCSE validates the submission and provides the parent with a letter of eligibility for the required specialist placement. This letter is then required to be submitted with the enrolment form. The letter's purpose is to inform schools that the NCSE is aware of the students needs and that the student has been factored into the planning process for provision at a local level.
An additional benefit of this process is that it has removed an administrate burden on both schools and families alike. Having this letter removes the need for schools to evaluate reports and for parents to fill in forms and provide reports and recommendations directly to schools.
In addition, the common application system pilot is ongoing in some areas of the country, namely; Athenry, Celbridge, Clonakilty, Greystones and Tullamore. Running concurrently is the extension of the autism class application trial in the Dublin 15 area. These pilots form an important step towards delivering a more efficient, transparent, and equitable school application process. It will reduce stress for parents and children, ease administrative burdens on schools, while also supporting better planning for school places. These pilots will inform my department of what works well and what needs further consideration before it is rolled out to other areas of the country.
The NCSE is currently collating the data and information received by 1 October through the parents notify process and are engaging with schools regarding where specialist provision is best placed for the 2026/27 school year. It is envisioned that the majority of these special classes will be sanctioned by 31 December 2025.
