Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2026
332. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding a new special school at a location (details supplied); the number of places that will be available; the enrolment procedures; if staff have been hired; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47205/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for students with special educational needs.
There continues to be an increasing need to provide additional special school places to support students with complex needs. To meet this need, sixteen new special schools have been established in recent years, and capacity has been expanded in a number of others. Five of these were established for the 2025/26 school year in counties, Cork, Dublin (2), Monaghan and Tipperary.
Four new special schools were recently announced to be established in Balbriggan, CityWest, Bray and Monasterevin. The Department and the NCSE are working closely with the patron bodies of the four new special schools being established for 2026/27. Dedicated working groups including the Department, the NCSE and relevant patron body continue to meet to support the establishment of the new special schools.
It is expected that details in relation to the admissions process and number of places available at the school referred to by the deputy will be confirmed shortly. The NCSE will continue to advise parents at local level on developments.
A number of recently opened special schools in Dublin are also expanding and are due to offer places very shortly.
When looking to provide additional capacity the department’s preferred option is to increase provision in existing special schools if possible. Where this is not possible in a region, the department and NCSE will consider the need to establish a new special school.
In planning for increased special school places, my department and the NCSE review all of the available data on the growing need for special school places across the country. This involves a detailed analysis of enrolment trends and the potential for existing special schools in a region to expand.
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 that meets 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 and young people seeking a special school place in a region.
In addition, the NCSE has now sanctioned a total of 575 new special classes in mainstream schools for the next school year. Further new special classes may be confirmed in the coming weeks.
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 achieve their full potential.
