Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 October 2026
289. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question 68932/26, to outline the actual ratio of teachers, special needs assistants, and therapeutic staff currently employed per special school and special class. [71563/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis 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.
For special schools and classes, the ratios for teacher to student is grounded in the report of the special education review committee or SERC report from 1993. While this report provides a grounding for the allocation to special schools and classes, the NCSE can also examine the allocations based on the individual needs of the school/class. There are Department circulars / guidelines and NCSE guidelines and processes in place which determine the number of teachers in place to support children with special educational needs.
When a new special school is established, there is an automatic allocation of a minimum of 1 teacher and 2 SNAs per class of 6 children but this is invariably increased based on the profile of needs of the children enrolled. Special schools are resourced by the NCSE based on an annual review of their enrolment and the profile of the children and young people enrolled in them.
A list of all mainstream and special schools is available on my department's website on gov.ie. In addition, a list of schools with special classes; broken by location and class designation is available on the NCSE (www.ncse.ie/school-leaders/special-classes/) Details of special needs assistant (SNA) and special education teacher allocations are also available on the NCSE website.
Following Budget 2027 an additional 1,353 special education teachers and 2,339 SNAs have been funded to support children across mainstream and specialist settings. This brings the total number of special education teachers to 24,000 and the number of SNAs to over 28,000 by the end of 2027, which is the highest ever number of SET and SNAs allocated to our education system.
This is in recognition of the growing needs of children across all settings. In total, there will be 52,000 dedicated staff to support children with special educational needs in our schools
As reference in PQ 68932/26 in February 2026, my department announced the phased expansion of the ETS. Now available to 64 special schools the service will be expanded to special classes and mainstream schools in time.
Government approved funding of €24m for the ETS has ensured that a robust clinical governance structure is in place in the National Council of Special Education (NCSE) allowing for quality and effective service delivery. There are currently over 80 therapy staff working in the NCSE and recruitment is ongoing to build this workforce to over 180 therapists.
It is envisaged therapists will support a cluster of schools, enabling the sharing of best practice, facilitating peer learning between schools, and the establishment of communities of practice focused on supporting the delivery of high-quality teaching and learning experiences within inclusive environments. The number of schools a therapist will support in a cluster will be dependent on a number of factors including geographical location, the demographic and number of students per school.
The service will use a multi – tiered system of support, providing:
• Universal support for all children and young people
• Targeted support for groups of children and young people with similar needs, and
• Individualised support for children and young people with the most complex needs.
This approach ensures that children and young people with the highest level of need receive the most appropriate. The ETS Model of Support allows the therapists to be flexible in how they work in schools.
Children and young people will benefit from therapists being regularly present in their classrooms, working with their teachers and where appropriate working directly with children and young people to implement individualised therapeutic intervention to support their participation in school and their educational aims and goals.
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.
