2025-12-16

I want to talk the Minister of State about Scoil Bhríde, Lackagh, south Kildare. This is a beautiful rural school that currently has 101 students enrolled. The school, I am told, has 30 new children applying to the school in September 2026. Parents in Scoil Bhríde are currently fighting for an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, unit. There are a number of children who are struggling in mainstream classes in the school and who would benefit greatly from this new unit. Another child is also due to start in September of next year as their siblings are also currently going through the school. There is an empty classroom in the school and a teacher available. The school just needs the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, and the Department to give the go-ahead and give parents the certainty of an appropriate classroom environment for their child. We just cannot continue the practice of taxiing children out of their local community when there is a local school like Scoil Bhríde in Lackagh available to them within their own local area. Scoil Bhríde can accommodate this unit as it has the space and, as I said, it has the staff member. As always, I want to put on the record of the House some testimonials I have received from parents seeking this ASD unit. The first one states: Our youngest boy is autistic and requires an autism class. His siblings have all attended our local school in Lackagh. Our lovely local school Lackagh is due to lose a teacher in Sept 26 due to falling enrolment, therefore we have the space and the teacher available. All we want for Xmas this year is for a school place for [our child] in... his local school. He deserves the same opportunities his siblings had and wear the Lackagh uniform with pride. Please give us that chance. Another parent said: My son is 9 years old and is currently facing significant challenges in the standard classroom environment due to his autism. A specialized class would provide the necessary resources, structure, and tailored educational approach to help him thrive academically and socially. Implementing this class would not only benefit my child by offering him the appropriate setting for success but would also ensure that the school is meeting the diverse needs of all its students. Finally, My daughter is currently in Lackagh. Her teachers and I have come to the realisation that although she is doing great now, she will most likely need a special class as she goes into older classes. She absolutely loves going into school in Lackagh and we would be heartbroken to have to move her from her friends and teachers if Lackagh doesn’t get the special class they so... [deserve]. Tonight, I am asking the Minister of State to give these parents and their children the ASD unit that Scoil Bhríde so desperately needs. I hope the Minister will have a positive answer.

I thank Deputy Wall. I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. First, the Minister is committed to the provision of additional special places for children with special educational needs. Budget 2026 has secured funding for 3,000 new specialist places and the NCSE is currently examining where these places are best located for the 2026-27 school year. Over 2,700 new places have already been provided for the 2025-26 school year. This means there are now 3,742 special classes nationwide. We will build on this figure next year placing specialist provision where it can best meet existing and future demand. In County Kildare, 148 special classes are now in operation, providing capacity for 888 students. This includes 17 new special classes for this year. In addition, 16 new special schools have been established in recent years. Special school capacity has also been expanded across a number of special schools nationwide. Six of these special schools are in County Kildare, educating approximately 359 students with the most complex of special educational needs. These schools are supported by the Department and the NCSE. The NCSE will have a clear picture of local demand for special class places in the 2026-27 school year after it reviews and assesses all of the information that has been provided through the parents’ notification process, which closed on 1 October. The NCSE expects to start sanctioning new special classes for the 2026-27 school year shortly and the Department and the NCSE continue to consider options for increasing special school capacity. This can be achieved either through the expansion of existing special schools or the establishment of new special schools. A key focus will be on establishing new special classes in schools without an existing special class such as the school referred to by the Deputy, Scoil Bhríde in Lackagh. I recognise the crucial importance of the matter raised by the Deputy having listened to many of the testimonials provided by him. An earlier notification deadline was introduced this year to support forward planning and to equip the NCSE with timely local information on those students leaving school, transitioning to post-primary specialist places or seeking specialist placement and entering the education system for the first time. This information is critical when examining where provision needs to be placed to meet demand. The NCSE will also have due regard to any vacant places in existing special classes in an area and any places that will be become available through the normal movement of children leaving primary or post-primary school. I stress that the NCSE will continue to support all children made known to it after this date. However, it is critical that the NCSE has timely access to local knowledge to effectively plan future provision.

I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive reply. We can both agree about the importance of allowing children to attend their local national school where possible. This is why I raised the needs of Scoil Bhríde in Lackagh tonight. This is a rural school that, unfortunately, has seen something of a decline in numbers but has a need for a special unit. All of us in this Chamber have spoken for a long period of time about the importance of keeping rural schools open. If we can publish that Scoil Bhríde has this unit, I have no doubt we will see the 30 children the school has increase. My office is inundated, as are I am sure the Minister of State's office and those of all Deputies, with parents looking for that special school place or that special school. The reason why it is so important that we keep children in their local school is because many of them are getting into a taxi early in the morning - 7 a.m. in some cases - and travelling 30 or 40 miles to get that special school place. I have spoken in this House previously about one parent who has had to ring over 40 different schools to get that school place. That is quite common in County Kildare given the demand for school places. Here we have a perfectly good school that has a great reputation. It is a rural school that has the accommodation and, most importantly, a staff member who can come into this unit straightaway in September 2026. I ask the Minister of State to bring this matter back. She has heard the testimonials tonight from parents. The school needs that ASD unit. It needs it for the children who need the unit and it needs it for the school community. It will develop as a school. It is an absolutely brilliant school. If we are serious about treating all children equally, we must give children the opportunity to take part in their own local school and as the parents have said to me, have pride in their local school uniform.

The Deputy did not just raise an important question, he did it so passionately as an advocate for the school he spoke of. I can fully understand his passion in this regard. All I can do is thank him for raising the matter and for giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that all children can access an education that meets their needs. I heard what the Deputy said about local provision, which is hugely important. The Department continues to engage intensively with the NCSE regarding forward planning for new special provision to ensure every child has a place in an educational setting best fitting their educational need. It is important to remember that the vast majority of students with special educational needs are supported to attend school in mainstream classes with their peers. Central to this are the 15,000 special education teachers and 12,500 SNAs allocated to mainstream settings. For children with more complex needs, special classes or special school places are provided. This is in keeping with the policy on inclusive education, which advocates that children will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible. The NCSE advises that a small number of special places remain in many counties for those seeking placement this year. While those places may not always be in a preferred school, vacancies do exist. The NCSE remains available to provide advice and support to all families seeking specialist placement and will continue to examine where provision is required for the 2026-27 school year.