Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
537. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth current level of dyslexia-specific supports available in primary and post-primary schools; and whether her Department plans to expand evidence-based interventions for students with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14642/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra538. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will review the Special Education Teaching allocation model to ensure it adequately reflects the number of students with dyslexia in each school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14643/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra541. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated number of students currently diagnosed with dyslexia in primary and post-primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14646/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra543. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she could provide the number of children diagnosed with dyslexia in each of the past five academic years, broken down by constituency, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14648/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 537, 538, 541 and 543 together.
This government is fully committed to supporting students with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
At present, there are four special schools, and fourteen special classes attached to mainstream schools to support students with a specific learning disability such as severe dyslexia. I want to acknowledge the excellent work they do. It is important to note they were established at a time when there were much fewer additional supports in schools.
In pursuit of a more inclusive education system it is important, as far as possible to support students to attend their local mainstream schools. This means that children and young people can be educated with their peers and are not required to travel long distances to attend special schools or classes.
15,000 special education teachers have been provided to enable schools to achieve this objective. In practical terms this means schools get a substantial additional teaching allocation to support students with special education needs who are in mainstream classes.
The additional resources are intended to support students with the greatest level of need, including those with a specific learning disability such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or dysgraphia.
Of course, I recognise the importance of building the capacity of teachers in mainstream schools to meet the needs of all students. To support this, 338 places are funded each year for teachers to attend post-graduate special education needs programmes, to be increased to 388 for 2026. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) offers dedicated professional learning opportunities for teachers supporting students with additional needs. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) also provides professional learning opportunities that are available to all primary and post-primary school teachers on supporting children and young people with special educational needs.
Funding is also made available to schools for the purchase of specialised equipment to assist students. Schools can apply to the NCSE, through their local special educational needs organiser (SENO) for such support.
I am also pleased to say that, through the NCSE, we will be trialling an approach to support teachers’ capacity meet the needs of dyslexic students. This programme will commence in a number of primary and post-primary schools in September 2026 and will see graduates of an M.Ed (dyslexia) programme supporting teachers in schools in their locality to identify and meet the needs of dyslexic students.
The need for any additional provision or resources for schools to support students with dyslexia is kept under constant review by the NCSE.
The department recognises the importance of providing well-timed and appropriate support to students with identified learning needs.
The special education teaching (SET) allocation for mainstream schools provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on the educational needs profile of each school.
Schools are frontloaded with ring-fenced SET resources for the purpose of supporting students with an identified special education learning need. The allocation allows schools to provide additional teaching support for students who require such support.
It is a matter for schools to deploy SET resources effectively to meet the needs identified in Student Support Plans, based on the continuum of support framework. SET hours should only be used for their intended purpose to support students with a special education learning need.
The department does not hold centralised comparative data on the level of individual student needs. Such data is maintained at individual school level and detailed within the individual student support file held by the school. The Continuum of Support is the framework developed by NEPS for schools to identify, plan and provide support for children and young people who experience difficulties with their learning.
The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) supports schools in implementing the Continuum of Support framework with each school taking responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and supports for children and young people with special educational needs. Under this model, a child or young person does not require a psychological assessment diagnosis in order to access additional support at school.
This Continuum of Support framework recognises that special educational needs occur along a continuum, ranging from mild to more significant, and from transient to enduring. It recognises that children require different levels of support depending on their identified educational needs, and that needs may change over time. Using this framework helps to ensure flexible and timely allocation of supports, so that those children with the greatest level of need have access to the greatest level of support.
My department and the 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.
