2025-12-11

96. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update and timeframe for the new ASD classes at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70806/25]

I welcome the support the Minister of State and his Department have given in opening new ASD classes in my own constituency over the last number of years. I also welcome the recent visit he made to St. Michael's House Special National School when it was opening its new building on a great day for that community. I wish to ask the Minister of State about the Finglas Parochial National School and the provision of ASD classes at its location.

I thank the Deputy for his kind comments and also for his engagement on education. The opening of St. Michael's House Special National School was a wonderful day. I congratulate that community for the day and also for the work they do and the atmosphere that was within that school. We do not acknowledge enough the commitment to the work that school leadership and school teams do within special schools and right across schools. I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers has been approved for accommodation to facilitate special class provision. Two new special classes were sanctioned at this school by the National Council for Special Education for the 2025-26 term. While accommodation for special classes can be provided within existing unused accommodation in many instances, modular accommodation can be installed under existing planning exemptions. In this case, a planning application was required. The planning application is to facilitate the provision of both special education and mainstream classrooms under the Department’s SEN reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme. There is provision for one special class within the planned modular accommodation. Additionally, the provision of modular classrooms will facilitate the repurposing of existing accommodation to facilitate the second special class. The school has been approved for grant funding to support these requirements for repurposing work. The local authority has made a request for further information in respect of the planning application for the required modular accommodation and a response to this is currently being finalised. Project management supports have been appointed to support the school in the delivery of this important project. Departmental officials and the project mangers will continue to work closely with the school authority to ensure that special class provision is made as soon as possible. Where new special class accommodation is not in place at the start of a school year, the NCSE works closely with the schools and families to support the development of contingency arrangements for students enrolled in the new special classes. Teaching and special needs assistants have been allocated to schools that are opening new special classes this year and it is expected that these staff would work closely with the students enrolling in new special classes under any contingency arrangements that may be in place.

I thank the Minister of State. We welcomed the sanction of special classes in the Finglas national school. It is an incredibly historic school and one of the original model schools. The difficulty is that, in the meantime, there is a temporary provision in a local community hall where, only on a part-time basis, education is being provided. The difficulty with that is that many parents moved their children from full-time places either in other schools where they were not in an ASD class or from a preschool where there was dedicated special education. They have gone from a situation of being in full-time education to now being in reduced hours because the local community hall is being used for other purposes. I understand that there is a short period in terms of planning, building and so on, but where a child is on reduced hours for six or eight months, the impact, including on the parents, is very significant. I urge the Minister of State to make sure this project is completed as soon as possible.

I accept that totally. The school authority, together with the National Council for Special Education and the Department, came up with a contingency plan. I welcome that they put a contingency plan in place but there is a planning issue here that is outside the role of the Department. As of yesterday, my information is that the local authority has requested further information in respect of the planning application. It is important that this be responded to and we expedite it. As we have populated these classes, the NCSE and the Department have been working with those families and have given temporary accommodation or reduced hours. That is not acceptable to us but it is the way we have had to do it for the last couple of months. We are deeply committed to fully funding this project. Money is approved for it. The planning issue is delaying it somewhat. I give a commitment to the Deputy that we will work with the school authorities, the Department and the NCSE to make sure there is no delay on our side in making sure these classes are fully open and fully populated as a full-time school resource.

I thank the Minister of State, and particularly his office, which I have been in touch with many times on this issue. We do not control the planning process and it was unexpected that the additional information would be required. The difficulty is that parents like Marie, Leanne and others who have been in touch with me were effectively offered half a place. They were told they had to take it and they were not sure they would have it again. The building was not in place and even the solution was not there for a full-time place. Their children have gone from having full-time places in preschool and in other schools to part-time places. How they were locked into having to accept those places was unsatisfactory. All that said, we want to now focus on the delivery of the project. I ask that the Minister of State's office keep an eye on this at a micro level, as I know it does on many other projects, because we want to make sure there is no further slippage for this school and that these part-time places can be converted very quickly into regular full-time provision.

I will certainly give the Deputy a commitment on that. He was spoken to me many times about this school in Finglas and the challenges that are faced by the parents. I commend him for working so closely with the parents and the school communities. I encourage all Deputies across the House to continue to liaise with their school communities because they are hugely vital and we should be constantly engaging with them. We will work very closely with Deputy McAuliffe and the school community to make sure there are no delays. It is hoped that the planning issue can be resolved. Any help the Deputy can give in that would be greatly appreciated from our side. It is important as well to reassure the parents and the students who are there. Last year, we were looking at an issue about need in this community. This school was identified as a place where we could put in special classes. The school community stood up to the plate and engaged very positively with the Department, and we thank it for that. It is important that we get this over the line and return the children's full-time education places.