Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
632. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Youth the timeline for when therapists will be appointed to a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12030/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 6th February 2026, the Department of Education and Youth announced the phased rollout of the new Education Therapy Service (ETS), delivered by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). It is important to highlight that this is the initial phase of the ETS rollout which will occur on a phased basis with a wider roll-out to further special schools within the 2026/2027 school year and a new initiative which will see all schools benefit in the coming years.
NCSE Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) and Occupational Therapists (Ots) will work in collaborative partnership with schools to ensure the children with the greatest needs are supported. NCSE therapy will also work alongside existing supports and services.
Initial schools and clusters have been determined through detailed and robust engagement with the NCSE, HSE and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) to ensure transparency and alignment of services. A framework, including a weighting system, was developed to identify schools for inclusion in the initial phase of the ETS.
The initial phase of the ETS will commence in 45 special schools in this school year. The initial clusters will be based in Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Tipperary, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.
The NCSE has recently completed a recruitment campaign for Senior and Staff Grade Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists, with interviews scheduled for this month. The continued rollout of the ETS will be supported by phased recruitment campaigns throughout 2026 to ensure therapy needs across the school system are met, including a recruitment campaign in Donegal, Kerry, Cavan and Waterford by the end of June 2026. A rolling national campaign will continue later in 2026.
At this time, School of the Divine Child is not included in the initial cohort of special schools, however any existing supports the school is currently receiving will continue as usual.
In line with the rollout and development of the ETS, we will continue to engage with the HSE on the ETS model of service, to ensure a safe transition of schools supports between HSE and NCSE services, as NCSE therapists are assigned to schools.
It is envisioned that further phases will be rollout in the 2026/2027 school year to ensure therapy needs across the school system are met.
While School of the Divine Child cannot be offered ETS strand 1 supports in this cohort the school can avail of NCSE regional therapy provides national therapy led Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) events. This therapy-led TPL, with follow-on implementation support, is available to this school and is accessible online at: https://ncse.ie/tpl
My Department and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
