Written Answers Nos. 441-460
442. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools in Cork that requested an SNA review between September and October 2025; and the number of these reviews that remain pending. [64983/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra443. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of Cork schools that received reduced SNA allocations following the 2025 NCSE review; and the reasons recorded by the NCSE for each reduction. [64984/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra444. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of NCSE SNA review recommendations nationally and in Cork that were issued outside the six-week review window; and the impact on schools preparing for 2026. [64985/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 442 to 444, inclusive, together.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised. I will arrange for your query to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
Deputies are also welcome to raise such queries with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie.
445. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether any assessment has been carried out on whether the definitions of "complex care needs" and "level 3 care needs" used in the 2025-26 SNA review process adequately reflect the needs of students in autism classes; and if she will publish this assessment. [64986/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised. I will arrange for your query to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
Deputies are also welcome to raise such queries with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie.
446. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of autism class applications in Cork redirected by the NCSE due to capacity issues in preferred schools for the 2025-26 school year, and the number expected for 2026-27. [64987/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for me, 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 class and special school places are provided.
This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which promotes that children will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible.
Budget 2026 has provided funding for 3,000 new special educational places within our education system and the NCSE is currently examining where this provision is best placed for the 2026/27 school year.
In order to ensure new special classes can open as quickly as possible the NCSE prioritise working with medium and larger primary schools who do not already have a special class and have available accommodation to accommodate new special class. This approach maximises the use of existing space which can be reconfigured efficiently while also ensuring that new provision continues to be established. It also increases the number of schools with special classes providing parents with greater choice and reducing the distances that some children are travelling to access a special class place.
However, as in other years where schools have no available accommodation, particularly at post-primary level and there is known demand in a local area, my department will continue to provide additional classroom accommodation to provide necessary places.
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.
447. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the NCSE has completed a capacity audit of all post-primary schools in Cork to determine which schools can accommodate new autism classes for 2026-27, and if she will publish the findings. [64988/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra448. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools in Cork that identified for reconfiguration or minor works to support the opening of new autism classes for 2026-27, and the expected timelines for completion. [64989/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 447 and 448 together.
Through the accelerated provision of additional special class and special school places over recent years, there are now over 30,000 students enrolled in special classes and special schools. 2,700 new places were created for the 2025/26 school year and these, together with the over 1,200 existing places due to students moving on from primary schools and post-primary schools, has meant that close to 4,000 specialist places were made available for the 2025/26 school year.
The National Council for Special Education (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.
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 students progressing from primary school. Last year 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 NCSE continue to assess what additional provision is required in local areas and what schools have capacity to accommodate required provision. It is envisioned that the majority of these special classes will be sanctioned by 31 December 2025. There is a particular focus on establishing new special classes in post-primary schools with none or just 1 special class.
My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs and will continue to review and monitor the situation as to where new specialist provision is required.
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.
451. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools in Cork that were issued guidance or support on implementing the Relate document during the 2025 SNA review period; and whether training was delivered in person or online. [64992/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra452. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNA allocation appeals lodged by Cork schools in 2025; and the proportion upheld in full or in part. [64993/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra453. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of Cork schools where the NCSE recommended no change in SNA allocation despite evidence of increased behavioural or high-support needs reported by the school. [64994/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 451 to 453, inclusive, together.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised. I will arrange for your query to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
Deputies are also welcome to raise such queries with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie.
454. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools nationally and in Cork that reported delays in accessing SENOs during the 2025 SNA review cycle; and the steps being taken to ensure timely support for 2026. [64995/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised. I will arrange for your query to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
Deputies are also welcome to raise such queries with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie.
455. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the Department has conducted any review of the consistency of NCSE decisions across counties, with specific reference to Cork; and if she will publish the results of any such review. [64996/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
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. Together this has delivered 2,700 new places. For the 2026/27 school year an additional 3,000 new specialist places will be provided.
My department and the NCSE identify the need for special educational provision with consideration to demographical and statistical data and in regard to an areas existing school provision and future capability. In addition, part of the forward planning process as to where new classes, schools or expansion is required looks at how far students are travelling to access an education appropriate to their needs. This is an important factor which has been incorporated into the decision-making process. Consideration is also given to the information the NCSE hold at local level on the number of children seeking a special school place in a region.
In order to support the NCSE and forward planning my department published Circular 0039/2025. This circular informs school management and patrons of measures introduced to support forward planning and reiterates the need for parents to inform the NCSE that they are seeking a special educational placement for their child. An earlier date of 1 October was set for parents to do so.
This notification process will provide the NCSE with valuable information as to which children will continue to require a special class as they progress to post-primary level and details on students who require a place for the first time.
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.
In recent years, the NCSE has undergone a significant transformational change. This has included a restructuring of the organisation and a 67% increase in its workforce, which combine to provide an increased and responsive support within communities.
At local level, the NCSE has doubled the number of support teams available to parents and schools, throughout the country, from a 10 team structure to a 20 team structure.
All special educational needs organisers (SENO) grades are now assigned on a county basis and undertake caseloads associated with that county only, on a reduced caseload basis.
To support these staff, additional administrative staff have also been allocated and this allows SENOs to concentrate on working directly with schools and families.
This allows for an integrated community-based service which is conducive to the development of key relationships between NCSE staff, parents, and schools in the provision of services to students with special educational needs.
The additional SENOs, additional administrative support and revised caseload allocations contribute to a comprehensive level of localised cover.
This transformational change has been undertaken to ensure that there is a consistency of approach across the country and to ensure that all special education resources allocated by the NCSE is done on a fair, equitable basis on the key premise that the resources are allocated on the basis of identified need.
My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs and will continue to review and monitor the situation as to where new specialist provision is required.
456. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a further review will take place of the level of disadvantage within schools towards establishing whether more schools meet the requirements for entry into the current DEIS programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65005/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to all schools, such as free schoolbooks and free hot school meals. Schools also have access other universal supports such as wellbeing supports for students through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), additional teaching hours under the English as an Additional Language (EAL) scheme and advisory support from the Department’s Inspectorate.
Currently, the DEIS programme supports almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools, reaching approximately 260,000 students, with an annual investment of over €180 million. Budget 2026 allocates an additional €16 million in 2026, rising to €48 million in 2027, to support the implementation of the new DEIS Strategy and introduce the DEIS Plus scheme, which will commence in 2026.
The new DEIS Strategy will include a focus on developing more innovative approaches to addressing educational disadvantage in all schools - DEIS and non-DEIS - and working towards a more flexible system of support to ensure that schools can receive the right support at the right time. This will involve a more dynamic resource allocation model where levels of resources more accurately follow the levels of need identified by objective data.
The details of the DEIS Strategy are being finalised and will be published before the end of the year. Any future expansion of the programme, and allocation of overall resources, will be considered within the context of the new DEIS Strategy and the availability of resources.
457. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the development of a new building for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65008/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB).
The Brief is for 8 Mainstream classrooms and 2 Special Educational Needs classrooms.
The project is at Stage 2b of the architectural planning design process. This allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions and the preparation of tender documents.
While at this early stage, it is not possible to provide a timeline for the completion of the project. GRETB will continue to engage directly with the school authorities to keep them fully informed of progress.
In July the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation my department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.
My department is now preparing an NDP implementation plan which is due for publication in November. This plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.
The current status of all projects is listed on a county-by-county basis at www.gov.ie and this is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.
458. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of spaces available for incoming first year students in mainstream secondary schools within the school planning area of Galway city; if the schools have sufficient capacity for all sixth class pupils currently enrolled in mainstream primary schools within the school planning area of Galway city; if her Department has given consideration to increasing capacity of secondary school places within the Galway city planning area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65020/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority of mine.
My department uses data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, enrolments and information on new residential developments, to plan for school place needs.
The annual enrolment process for new Junior Infants at primary and new First Years at post-primary is a very large-scale operation that is transacted at close to 4,000 schools across the country, involving some 140,000 pupils. While my department is aware of enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, it is important to note that enrolment pressures can be driven by duplications of applications, applications from outside an area, and school of choice factors. Notwithstanding the above, in some areas, demographic pressures and other factors are driving a requirement for additional school places.
Furthermore, the data sharing arrangements that were in place for the 2025/26 admissions process have been put in place again for the 2026/27 admissions process in school planning areas that are experiencing enrolment pressures, including Galway City. The admissions data provided by schools will allow the department to analyse duplicate applications as there can be significant overlap in areas.
As per my departments analysis of Galway City school planning area for the 2024/25 academic year, there were more first year places available than 6th class children and 3.86% of first year places were unfilled.
The Deputy will appreciate that there can often be significant overlap across areas and schools, and the nature of the admissions processes is quite complex. As a result, there can be multiple iterations, where applicants may accept a place but subsequently be offered and accept a place at a second school, freeing up capacity at the first school accepted. In that context, is may take some time for my department to fully review the availability of post-primary school places in Galway City constituency while the admissions process continues to progress.
My department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.
Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
The availability of places is a matter for each individual school in the context of their Admissions legislation. Enrolment data for previous school years is available on the Department website. Enrolment data for the 2024/25 school year is available on the Departments website at www.gov.ie.
I can assure the Deputy that my department will continue to keep the school place requirements in Galway City school planning area, as with other areas across the country, under review.
459. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of the development and enhancement works at a school (details supplied) in Galway city; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65021/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe major building project referred to by the Deputy will be delivered via my Departments ADAPT Programme.
ADAPT is an acronym for "Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and Tendering". The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe during the stages of architectural planning.
The brief for this major project is the development of a 1,000 pupil Post Primary School with 4 classroom SEN base at Coláiste Muire Máthair, St. Mary’s Road, Shantalla, Galway including the refurbishment of existing school building (protected structure), internal remodelling of existing building extensions and the construction of a new build extension including all associated site works.
The project is currently at Stage 1 - Preliminary Design (assessment of site and location suitability and initial sketch scheme).
As part of the Stage 1 process the Design Team submit a Stage 1 Report to my Department. A preferred design option, including the scope and extent of works to be carried out form part of this report.
The Stage 1 Report is currently with my Department for review and upon completion of that due diligence review the Stage 1 stakeholders meeting will be scheduled.
In July the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation my department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. It is planned that circa 80 school building projects will progress to construction across 2026 and 2027 as part of a 2-year rolling programme.
All Government departments are expected to publish their sectoral NDP Implementation Plans in November. My department’s plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.
460. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the development works at a school (details supplied) in Galway city; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65022/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy, that my department is in receipt of an application under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme for additional school accommodation from the school in question.
The purpose of my department’s Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs 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.
Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. In addition, repurposing and optimisation of existing accommodation capacity across the school estate has been a key enabler of timely, local provision of special class capacity in a way that supports best practice in inclusion and integration. Circa 80% of new special classes in 2025/26 are being facilitated in repurposed classroom accommodation.
Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. Supplementary capital funding of €210 million approved by Government has brought the total capital allocation for 2025 for my department to €1.6 billion.
In July the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation my department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. It is planned that circa 80 school building projects will progress to construction across 2026 and 2027 as part of a 2-year rolling programme.
All Government departments are expected to publish their sectoral NDP Implementation Plans in November. My department’s plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.
The application from the school in question will be considered as part of this process and the school authority will be notified of the decision directly.
