2026-03-04

In recent weeks, we have seen how important special education is as an issue, not just for the children and families affected but to the wider community that recognises if a child gets the right educational support in the right school at the right time, it can have a profound and life-long benefit. We know special education will take different forms. For many children an SNA in a classroom will allow them to participate and thrive in mainstream schools. We know for others there is need for units within mainstream schools. They have specific needs to be catered for. We know for a relatively small number of children that what is required is enrolment in a purpose-built special school that has the expertise, staffing and policies in place to support some of the most vulnerable children through their most formative years. For too long my county had not the option of that last avenue. We had no special school. There was one special school between Cavan and Monaghan, a good school by all accounts, but the numbers and travel distances meant that for many, it was not an option and the capacity of that school was limited. Thankfully, primarily due to a sustained, dignified and determined campaign by families and supporters of children with disabilities, the Government agreed, in advance of the most recent general election, to the delivery of an interim special school. That opened in September last year with 18 students finally given access to the education they need, 18 families whose lives have been changed for the better and an entire community that is so proud of all who brought it to that point. The crucial term used on delivery of that school was "interim." The building in which the special school is housed was previously a secondary school, which the school moved out of. It is limited in capacity for future development and expansion, and we know from experience all over the State that when you build a special school demand and capacity needs will increase. Therefore, I have been calling on Government since September to start the planning to deliver a permanent special school. That is what is required. We know the school is already at capacity, after being in place for only one term. We know future accommodation is required to facilitate even the needs there now. We know there are proposals for modular extension at the interim special school but what is needed is a bit of forethought. We need a greenfield site to deliver a permanent special school that will have the capacity for future expansion. The current site is perfect for the kids there now insofar as they have the special education they need. It will allow for some expansion but will not allow for the type of expansion we know is needed in the future. I hope the Minister of State will outline a vision to say we will deliver a special school on a site with the capacity to deal with future demands.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Monaghan Community Special School is one of five new special schools established in the most recent school year. It is operating under the patronage of the Cavan Monaghan ETB. The school supports 18 children and young people aged between four and 18 with a diagnosis of autism and complex needs, or students with complex learning needs with a professional recommendation for placement in a special school. The staffing comprises an administrative principal, administrative deputy principal, five class teachers, nine special needs assistants together with ten co-operation hours per week. The new school is located in Castleblayney in a former ETB school property, which was repurposed to facilitate the opening of the new school. The project was delivered under the Department’s SEN reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme, which facilitated the school opening as quickly as possible. The programme involves the use of the project management support which is designed to enable accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible to help ease the administrative workload for school authorities in relation to management and delivery of the projects. This is a collaborative process between the project manager, school authorities and the Department. The project manager is overseeing the delivery of residue elements to ensure the successful completion of the project. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, visited the school recently and was very impressed with the facilities, the quality of teaching and the commitment of all the staff and the students under their care. The National Council for Special Education is the statutory body in this regard. Over recent years a huge amount of expansion has taken place not only in special schools but in special classes also. This will continue for the 2026-27 school year. Work is under way on a large number of classes. With regard to the Monaghan special school, the Deputy is correct that a huge effort was put in by families and their supporters over a continuous time, particularly during the previous Dáil. As chair of the disability committee at the time, I was acutely aware of the challenges there. In his opening statement, he alluded to having special schools in the community because far too many children travel long distances for specialised school places throughout the country. The site in question was a former ETB building, which was repurposed to get it into use in as fast a time as possible to ensure the 18 children could attend. Some of the children travel long distances in Cavan and Monaghan; I am aware of some of the families and have engaged with them on it. We keep under review needs and requirements, particularly in special education. In recent years we have built almost 16 new special schools and more will follow to meet the capacity. We are keeping under constant consideration the school in Castleblayney. I thank the school authorities for the excellent work they have done in opening and facilitating the families. They have been engaging with the Department and we want to continue this. We keep under constant review the accommodation needs and not only from September to September. We also need to plan to make proper accommodation available for students who require specialist education places such as are offered in special schools.

I want to be clear that whatever modules or extensions are needed in the short term to increase capacity at the current location should happen without delay. The Minister of State mentioned that the Minister visited the school and, of course, she was very welcome. I was in the vicinity when the parents of the children who attend had a discussion with her. They had one ask, which was to make sure there is a permanent school that has capacity for future demand. The truth is that successive Governments have been far too slow in delivering special education. The Minister of State's answer alludes to this. What has been done is that Governments have been responding rather than planning. I am asking that in respect of the special school in Monaghan, let us plan. Let us not make the same mistakes as have been made in countless other areas, where interim schools have been put in place with extensions and prefabricated building on prefabricated building to deal with demand at any given time, rather than recognising there is a need to plan for the long term. Demand for this school will only increase. The needs in terms of capacity will increase. Do not wait until the current site is completely exhausted before starting the entire process of finding and identifying a site and going through the whole process, which, as we know in this instance, can take years. We need a sea change. We have seen it with the SNA debacle. We have seen it with secondary schools fighting, as recently as this week, for additional special needs classes, even though the demand was apparent years ago because the children were coming through the primary sector. We know in this instance that the demand for the special school will only increase. What is required is a bit of forethought. I ask the Minister of State to ensure the NCSE does not only deal with the urgency of the immediate, which is important, but also deals with the prospects for the future.

I take the point and it is crucial. A lot of planning and work has gone into opening 16 special schools in recent years. This was coming on the back of the State not providing special schools over the years because of international policy, and we can debate this left, right and centre. I was chair of the education committee 20 years ago when there was mainstreaming. There are a number of issues we have to catch up with. We have moved the date from 1 February to 1 October to bring greater certainty to families. I know the pressure that families are under when they are looking for a special class space or a special school place, and the enormous strain and pressure on the family and the wider family in this regard. I have dealt with many families and been advising and helping them over many years on this. The opening of the school in Monaghan in the current school year was a welcome initiative. I know it was welcomed by all the community. I understand the parents who met the Minister when she visited and I know families who have children in the particular school. I assure the Deputy that I am constantly looking at how we plan for the future to have a system in place in the Department and in all of the other education stakeholders to make sure we future-proof the system. I take the points made by him. I assure him this is not the first time the special school in Monaghan has come across my desk. I have been constantly engaging with all local representatives on it and I will continue to do so. I take the points on board.