James Geoghegan
Ceist:394. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the case of a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [69296/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 9 December 2025
Ceisteanna (394)
Freagraí scríofa
The Department of Education and Youth aims to facilitate every individual through learning, to achieve their full potential and to ensure that the education system upholds the rights of every individual to receive an education appropriate to their needs.
To support this, there has been significant growth and investment in disability and special education related supports for students in Ireland. In 2025, €2.9 billion has been allocated, a €159 million increase on 2024. This funding will deliver up to 2,700 new special educational places, an additional 768 teachers and 1,600 special needs assistants. This will mean we will have over 44,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs.
Current Department of Education and Youth policy is based on a continuum of provision for children and young people with special educational needs, ranging from fulltime placement in mainstream settings to specialist provision, including special schools and classes.
Primary and post-primary schools make provision for students with special educational needs (SEN) through a continuum of interventions ranging from additional support teaching in mainstream schools through to more specialist placements either in a special class or a special school depending on the level of complexity of need. Schools are required to target their additional resources at those students requiring the greatest level of support. Children/young people do not require a psychological assessment or a diagnosis in order to access additional support at school.
A sensory room in a school can enhance and promote the health and wellbeing of the whole school with a focus on both the culture and the environment. It is a designated area within a school which can support a student’s sensory preferences and needs and can provide students with the individualised sensory input they need to self-regulate, so they can be better prepared for learning and interacting with others.
A sensory room is primarily intended for use by students within the school and is not confined to students within a specific classroom.
Such classrooms for pupils with special education needs are included as standard in the accommodation brief for new school buildings and major extension projects. The overall accommodation suite for students with special education needs also generally includes ancillary accommodation such as a Central Activities Space, a Multi Activity Room and Quiet Spaces as well as an outdoor Secure Play Area and Sensory Garden.
In order to make accommodation provision to meet the needs of students with special education requirements, the department has close engagement with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. When the NCSE sanction a special class in a school, the school can apply to the department for capital funding to re-configure existing spaces within the school building to accommodate the class or to construct additional accommodation. Similarly, where special schools wish to expand provision, the school can apply to the department for capital funding to accommodate additional placements.
In addition to a sensory room, a school may have a calming space, the design of which is different to a sensory room. The calming space should be located within or directly off the classroom base and is intended as a safe quiet area that a pupil, under the supervision of a staff member, can access for a short period of time if they need some quiet time to themselves. The design of the space must allow staff to observe pupils unobtrusively from the classroom.
The calming space is designed to ensure that a student may choose to access to take a break or to help with regulation. Calming activities are made available to the student depending on their individual needs’ preferences, and may include items such as stress balls, books, soft toys, and/or noise cancelling headphones.
The NCSE have updated advice on sensory rooms in schools this year. The booklet titled 'Sensory Spaces in Schools', the content of the booklet is based on research evidence and the therapists’ professional experiences of working in schools. This booklet has been created to provide information on sensory processing and advice on the use of sensory spaces that should be used for general purposes. The booklet can be accessed on the NCSE website: www.ncse.ie.
The department are currently providing a “Towards Inclusion Programme”, it is intended as a first step in establishing closer links between the mainstream and special school system in Ireland or further developing existing links; these links to be rooted in the establishment of communities of practice which are focused on the provision of optimal teaching and learning experiences.
Finally, my department is currently Developing a Roadmap for Inclusive Education, with the aid of the European Commission’s Technical Support Instrument programme to take account of the National Council for Special Education’s policy advice on inclusive education and Ireland’s commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The roadmap is expected to be finalised in Q1 2026.