Special Educational Needs

86. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the number of applications for a special place in County Kildare; the age profile of the applicants; the number that have been successful; and the plans to provide a school place for those that were unsuccessful. [74947/26]

I ask the Minister of State to provide an update on the number of applications for a special school place in County Kildare; the age profile of the applicants; the number that have been successful; and, most importantly, the plans to provide a school place for those that were unsuccessful.

An estimated 25% of the total student population, or 240,000 children and young people, have specialised educational needs. The majority of these children continue to access mainstream classes with their peers and are supported by their class teachers, special education teachers and special needs assistants as necessary. The NCSE's "parents notify" process provides a mechanism for parents to indicate a potential requirement for a specialised place. This information supports the NCSE and the Department in planning for additional provision. Applications for admission are then managed locally by individual schools. In 2026, a record number of new special classes and additional special school places were provided to support children and young people with complex educational needs. Some 587 new special classes were sanctioned by the NCSE for this school year and more than 500 new special school places are being provided. The vast majority of children taking up these places are moving from another school setting. In County Kildare specifically, 33 new special classes have been sanctioned for this school year. This brings to 180 the number of special classes available in County Kildare. In addition, work is progressing on the establishment of a new special school in Monasterevin. This will be the second new special school established in County Kildare in recent years. I continue to meet senior officials in the Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE each week to monitor the progress being made on providing new special education places. The NCSE advises that there are sufficient specialised places available for children and young people without a school place and it continues to work with a very small cohort of families to help them to access and apply for these places. My Department and the NCSE are also engaged in planning for 2027-28.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Again, I put on the record my thanks to him and the Government for opening the new school in Ros Glas in Monasterevin. Unfortunately, as we discussed previously in this House, that school is already full, even before it has opened. The issue I raise again is the young children aged between 12 and 18 who will not have a school place in September and do not have one at the moment. Again, I mention Edel Murray and her son Jack. I raised their case with the Minister of State previously, but this family is just one of a number of families I am dealing with at the moment. It is not a small number of families; it is a significant number of families. I have been dealing with Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board on this, as I said to the Minister of State previously. However, what I need to hear from the Government today is what those families who do not have a school place for their loved ones in a special school setting are to do. The children need a special school setting, yet the families have applied to ten, 12 or 13 schools without success. Where are they to go?

I thank the Deputy for his comments. We continue to expand special education. We are working with a very small cohort of students and young people who do not have a school place and we are putting a huge effort into engaging with their families and school communities to find a resolution. The Deputy mentioned a case to me. I do not want to put specifics on the record, but I assure the Deputy that the NCSE and the Department meet every week to review the number of children and the options available for places. I assure the Deputy that the Department and the NCSE are aware of the challenges for a small number of families and we are working to try to find solutions for them.

I ask the Minister of State again whether he or the Government thinks this small number of families will have a school place for their children in the coming weeks and months. That is the question they are asking me. Some are currently homeschooling and some are trying to fit into other schools, but it is not working out and they need special school places. They tell me their children are suffering. Routine is important for these children. They need to be learning with their peers and need special school places. The Minister of State spoke about a "small cohort". I am dealing with more than ten families at the moment. That is a considerable number of families I am dealing with who have applied for a special school place in the new Monasterevin school and did not get a place. Will those families get a place this year for their children? That is all they want to know. All they have asked me to ask the Minister of State is whether he can guarantee they will have a place for their children.

Whatever about guaranteeing things as a Minister of State, what I can say is that the NCSE and the Department are working with the families and relevant schools to continue to support them until we have found a place. We will continue to do that. We are aware of the small cohort of students who are without a school place. We are doing everything we can at the weekly update meeting and right through the week. The NCSE and the Department will continue to support the families until a place is found. I can assure the Deputy of that because we are really concerned about it and we will continue to liaise with families to find a solution for their loved ones.