2025-12-11

95. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the provision of SEN places in a school (details supplied); if she is conscious of the shortage of places in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68320/25]

My question is about special educational needs places and, specifically, the provision of them in St. Anne's National School on Stonebridge Road in Shankill.

Enabling students with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for me, for the Department and for the National Council for Special Education. The vast majority of students with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where students with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided. This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which promotes students being supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible. The school referred to by the Deputy currently has one special class, which opened in 2024, dedicated to supporting students with autism. The NCSE sanctioned 407 special classes for the 2025-26 school year, bringing to 3,742 the number of special classes in our schools. There are 103 new special classes sanctioned for the 2025-26 school year across Dublin, including 81 at primary and 22 at post-primary. An updated list of these classes is available on the NCSE website and I am also happy to share it with the Deputy. For the 2026-27 school year, the NCSE is currently collating the data and information received by 1 October through the parent notification process and is engaging with schools on where specialist provision is best placed for the new school year. My Department and the NCSE have undertaken a significant amount of forward planning over recent months to identify medium and large primary schools and post-primary schools to prioritise in opening new special classes. A significant level of engagement has also occurred with school patron bodies and school management bodies in this regard. The NCSE intends to commence sanctioning new special classes for the 2026-27 school year this week, which is several months ahead of last year. The council expects to sanction a significant number of classes across Dublin and will continue to keep Oireachtas Members and parents informed of decisions. I acknowledge the Deputy's point in regard to the school he mentioned.

I thank the Minister of State. I do not want to downgrade the level of investment in, and commitment to, this issue the Government has shown. I acknowledge his reference to the progress made in this area. However, all the announcements and good work will not benefit the children who do not have a place. I was contacted by the family of a young boy who does not have a place in St. Anne's National School in Shankill and has been told he will not have one next September. We know the value of special educational needs classes. They stop from falling behind those children who can keep up with a little extra accommodation and assistance. Such provision is hugely important and not providing it is myopic in the context of the damage it does to children's long-term educational prospects. What do I say to the parents in Shankill I mentioned, who are now facing a situation where their son will not have a place in September? What can be done for them to ensure he gets the assistance he needs in the next academic year of 2026-27? What do I tell them they can do to move things along? They should not have to ring around every school in the area. There is no central point from which they can obtain that information.

Senior staff at the NCSE are working with the families who notified the council by 1 October this year. We are working through those figures at the moment. We want to identify the communities where the need is and match the places appropriately in order that we do not have students travelling long distances out of their communities. We want, as far as possible, to provide special classes and special schools within local communities. The family the Deputy mentioned should continue to liaise with the SENO. This week, we started sanctioning the first of the new classes for quarter 1 of 2026, with further new classes to be sanctioned over the next number of weeks. That work is ongoing and it continues the huge amount of detailed work my Department and the NCSE have done since 1 October, which matches the huge commitment we have given on this issue. We are working to sanction special classes this week and into the new year. The SENOs should and will be liaising with parents who gave notification to the NCSE prior to 1 October.

I acknowledge what the Minister of State said. Am I to take it I may now say to the parents I mentioned that the fact they have been told their son will not have a place in September is not definitive? There is still work going on and I should tell them to continue to engage. There is a review continuing into special educational needs places in Shankill and there is still the possibility of a place for their son. We all recognise the importance of securing a place for that family and the impact it will have on them and on that child's growth and potential. I agree with everything the Minister of State said. Investment in this area is vital. These parents have been told a place will not be available but I understand from what he said that this is still under review and may change.

The previous Minister, Deputy Foley, put out the following statement: "The Department of Education and Youth will shortly agree a new process to remove the requirement for professional reports such as assessment of need reports from entry requirements for special schools and special classes." We have all been inundated with queries from people who are very worried about this. We have no clarity and no information as to who is going to be assessed. I have no issue with streamlining processes but people need to know there is a process and who will make the assessment. We must ensure children who need added supports get those supports and an appropriate place, whether in a special class, special school or with supports in a mainstream class. The Minister of State really needs to provide clarity. Educators and parents are very worried at the moment.

A huge body of work is ongoing between the Department and the NCSE on the provision of special class places right across the country. There are no definitive decisions made. A number of decisions will be made this week and into the new year as to where those special classes will be made available. When they become available, the NCSE will liaise directly with families. I take Deputy Ward's point about the parents he mentioned not knowing if their child has a place. We brought in the deadline of 1 October to give families clarity earlier in the school year for next year. The deadline was 1 February last year. We brought it back by four months and we are now sanctioning classes before Christmas, which is the first time that has ever been done, and we will continue to do so. Families need just to wait to see what the review will show and then we will continue to work with them. The announcement yesterday reflects a hugely important piece of work the Department and the NCSE have been engaged in for some time. We must have a very robust system in place in which families, educators and school communities can have faith in terms of who is making decisions and the clinical governance of those decisions. Work will be ongoing over the coming weeks and months to give clarity in that regard. I reassure teachers and school communities that the policy is not being developed on a wing and a prayer. We are developing this policy because it is best for students and school communities. We have a very cumbersome system at the moment. We want to do right by the children right across the country who have special educational needs. We are working extremely hard to bring serious clarity to the new process.