Special Educational Needs

92. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which schools in Kildare North will benefit from the additional investment in special education from budget 2027, particularly in relation to the provision of special classes, special education teachers and SNAs. [74874/26]

Tá mé ag seasamh isteach do mo chomhghleacaí Naoise Ó Cearúil ar an gceist seo. Deputy Ó Cearúil is anxious to establish how the current budget will benefit resources for students with special needs in north County Kildare in terms of special classes, special teachers and SNAs. He has a particular concern around the provision of funding for facilitation works for Stepping Stones Special School in Maynooth.

For 2027, the Government has prioritised ensuring schools across the country, including in Kildare North, have the necessary resources to support children with special educational needs in the setting that best meets their needs. Since 2020, over 2,400 new special classes have been provided. There are now more than 4,300 special classes available in our primary and post-primary schools, with 180 special classes across primary and post-primary schools in County Kildare. In addition, of the 20 new special schools that have been opened, two are in County Kildare, bringing the number of special schools in the county to six. Budget 2027 will increase our special education teachers by over 1,300. Over 2,300 additional special needs assistants will also be funded to support children across mainstream and specialised settings. This will bring the total number of SNAs to over 28,000 by the end of 2027, the highest ever number of SNAs allocated in our education system. In total, there will be 52,000 dedicated staff to support the approximately 250,000 children with special educational needs in our schools. The NCSE's parents notify process provides critical information on children and young people who require specialised placements for the 2027-28 school year. An analysis of notifications received includes consideration of geographical factors and will focus on ensuring that there is local provision available for children and young people requiring placements. The NCSE and Department will use this information to work with schools in Kildare North and across the country to plan for special education provision for 2027. I will refer to the other points raised in the question in my supplementary response.

The figures the Minister of State quoted are absolutely astonishing. They are hugely impressive by any objective yardstick. I commend him personally on his contribution. I see my colleague Deputy Ní Raghallaigh, and Deputy Wall was here earlier. Despite that enormous provision, though, I am utterly flabbergasted at the number of people who continue to come to us at our clinics saying that they cannot access supports, resources or class places for their children. The situation is astonishing. I salute the NCSE for what it is trying to do and many of the special educational needs organisers, SENOs, who are very effective in working with families, yet the demand seems to be inexorable. Within the Department, is there an overview of when we will get to the point where we will be ahead of demand, creating a situation where parents will not be under the level stress they are currently dealing with?

When one lays out the figures, by any yardstick, the amount of investment in special education is huge. When you drill down into it all and fight for the funding at budget level - both the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and I fought very hard earlier this year to increase funding - yet there is still a small cohort of students outside not getting the education they deserve, you challenge yourself to do more. Over the past number of years, particularly in October 2025 and again this year, the parent notify system has given a sense of the level of need across the education system. Outside commentators will say that there were different factors involved but when you drill down into the numbers of the parent notify system, the reality is those children have special education requirements. We as a country are trying to make sure we have the funding available.

I would also like to raise the proper placement of students so that students can get a place in their local communities where they can attend with their siblings and neighbours. All too often, people criss-cross the county from one place to another to find a place, being sent to other locations by SENOs. I would like to ask about the relatively uncommon phenomenon of schools that will not play their part and refuse to take special classes and accommodate demand in their area. Is there a strategy in the Department to ensure that every primary school and post-primary school shoulders its responsibility and takes the benefits, let me say as well, that go with providing for children with special needs? Every student in those schools learns and benefits from that situation.

The Deputy mentioned Stepping Stones. I will get an update. On the Deputy's point about having special education across the system, I compliment Kildare in particular. On a visit we made to Kildare, including Maynooth, both of the second level schools in question were top of the range in this regard. There is commentary that we should look around the world at this, but those schools are leaders. It is no longer acceptable that any school or school community at primary or post-primary level is not engaging in the provision of special education. To have the provision of special education in the local community is important for the student, the families and the life outcomes. There can be no excuses. We have had challenges in relation to some schools but, by and large, that resistance has changed over the last year or year and a half. We have to ensure that every primary and post-primary school is providing special education. We will be reducing the criss-crossing. We will also be reducing the time that young students are spending on buses travelling across the county or the country. Those points are not lost on me at all.