Tuesday, 29 Sep 2026

Teacher Training

Ceisteanna (445)

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh

Ceist:

445. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has considered making CPD for teachers in the area of SEN mandatory. [68965/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth

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.

Special education placements are now mandatory for student teachers and appropriate modules have been added to course programmes to support this measure.

In addition, a range of options are available to support teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) through training opportunities in special education. These are provided within initial teacher education (ITE) programmes for student teachers and teacher professional learning (TPL) programmes for established teachers. Other options include short, flexible on-line opportunities and funding for placement on graduate and post-graduate programmes.

Central to TPL is Oide, a Department of Education and Youth funded TPL service. All Oide TPL programmes are designed and underpinned with the fundamental principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework that facilitates the inclusion of all learners to access the school curriculum in a meaningful way.

In addition, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) offer full school support to all staff and provide support for teachers with training needs in special education, through the NCSE support service. This service manages, co-ordinates and develops a range of supports in response to identified training need. Any school who feels it has a training need can contact their local special education needs organiser to arrange training.

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.

School Transport

Ceisteanna (446)

John Paul O'Shea

Ceist:

446. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will extend a post primary school transport route to collect a student (details supplied) who is attending a special class from her house. [68975/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth.

The National Council for Special Education acts in an advisory role to the Department on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, the Department will consider the report of the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO).

School transport is provided to children with special educational needs who are attending the nearest school to their place of residence that is or can be resourced to meet their educational needs, as identified by the SENO.

Children are eligible for transport where they have special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability and are attending the nearest recognised mainstream school, special class/special school or a unit that is or can be resourced, to meet their special educational needs.

Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO).

In this case, the school of attendance is not the nearest school to the pupil’s home that is or can be resourced to meet their special educational needs and therefore the pupil is not eligible for school transport under the terms of the scheme. The pupil resides 23.9km from home to the school of attendance.

However, the family has been offered a seat on a service, on a spare seat basis.

This offer of a spare seat on a service is subject to a number of strict conditions including:

• spare capacity after all eligible pupils have been catered for,

• the payment of a charge

• no additional State cost and no deviation/extension from an existing route

• no additional facilities or equipment being required to ensure the child’s safety while travelling.

A response has not yet been received from the family in question.

Question No. 447 answered with Question No. 426.

Oideachas Riachtanas Speisialta

Ceisteanna (448)

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh

Ceist:

448. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh den Aire Oideachais agus Óige [68686/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth

Is é seasamh na Roinne ná gur chóir do gach dalta freastal ar an scoil don lá iomlán, agus níor cheart laethanta scoile laghdaithe (LSLanna) a úsáid ach amháin i gcúinsí eisceachtúla. Nuair a chuirtear LSL i bhfeidhm, ní mór dá fheidhmiú a bheith ar bhonn sealadach agus faoi cheangal ama, agus níor cheart é a úsáid mar smachtbhanna nó mar uirlis bhainistíochta iompraíochta riamh.

I gcomhréir le gealltanais an Chláir Rialtais, rinne an Roinn Treoirlínte maidir le Laethanta Scoile Laghdaithe a thabhairt isteach i Meán Fómhair 2021, agus tháinig siad i bhfeidhm an 1 Eanáir 2022. Leis na treoirlínte sin, soláthraítear creat soiléir do scoileanna agus leagtar amach coinníollacha dochta a rialaíonn úsáid LSLanna. Ní cheadaítear iad ach amháin i gcásanna teoranta, mar shampla chun tacú le hath-imeascadh dalta ar scoil nó i gcás go bhfuil riachtanais leighis nó mheabhairshláinte ar leith ann, agus éilíonn a n-úsáid toiliú follasach na dtuismitheoirí nó na gcaomhnóirí.

Cuirtear maoirseacht agus tacaíocht ar fáil ag Seirbhís Tacaíochta Oideachais Tusla (TESS), a fheidhmíonn faoin Roinn agus atá freagrach as sonraí a bhailiú agus treoir a thairiscint trí Oifigigh Leasa Oideachais. Oibríonn an Roinn go dlúth chomh maith le TESS agus an Chomhairle Náisiúnta um Oideachas Speisialta chun a chinntiú go n-úsáidtear LSLanna mar is iomchuí agus go dtacaítear le daltaí filleadh ar fhreastal lae iomláin a luaithe is féidir.

Tá úsáid LSLanna faoi réir maoirseacht leanúnach, agus spreagtar scoileanna chun dul i gcomhar leis na seirbhísí tacaíochta ábhartha. Is féidir le tuismitheoir a bhfuil imní orthu faoi úsáid mhíchuí LSLanna, nó i gcás nach bhfuarthas toiliú i gceart, is féidir leis an tuismitheoir an t-ábhar a chur in iúl dá nOifigeach Leasa Oideachais áitiúil, dá nEagraí Riachtanais Speisialta Oideachais áitiúil, nó don Roinn, áit a ndéanfar an t-ábhar a scrúdú.

Léiríonn na sonraí is déanaí a foilsíodh gurbh é 1,275 líon na gcéad fhógraí faoi dhaltaí ar laethanta scoile laghdaithe a fuair TESS le linn scoilbhliain 2023/24, agus táthar ag súil go bhfoilseofar na figiúirí nuashonraithe do 2024/25 go luath.

Tá an fhaisnéis a d’iarr an Teachta leagtha amach sa tábla thíos.

Mar % de Dhaonra Iomlán na nDaltaí – LSLanna do dhaltaí a bhfuil riachtanais speisialta oideachais acu.

Earnáil	Líon Iomlán Daltaí	Líon iomlán daltaí ar LSLanna acu a bhfuil Riachtanais Speisialta Oideachais acu	Mar % den líon iomlán daltaí
Bunscoileanna	546,758	492	0.09%
Iar-bhunscoileanna	416,575	232	0.06%
Scoileanna Speisialta	9,326	97	1.04%
Iomláin	972,659	821	0.08%

Foilsítear na staitisticí is déanaí atá ar fáil ag an nasc seo a leanas:

https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/laethanta-scoile-laghdaithe-an-scoilbhliain-202324.pdf