Questions

269. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline plans to fund a panel of 20+ dyslexia support specialists throughout the country to carry out dyslexia assessments and support children with dyslexia in schools across the country; the way in which such specialists with the required credentials and experience can apply for such roles; when such roles will be advertised; and where they wi…

321. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the proposal by a school (details supplied) to transition from an English-medium school to a Gaelscoil; the outcome of the meeting between Department officials; and the projected timeline for progressing the proposal. [71779/26]

186. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports and services each school will lose in circumstances (details supplied); the supports that would be available from her Department to support such a merge; the position with regard to the re-deployment of staff including principal, teachers and support staff; and the procedure for the school community to follow in this instance. [69771/2…

193. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the convention on Education and the panel discussion on school values and culture; the reason for no involvement from the Catholic Church or religious bodies on the panel considering the number of schools in the State under their patronage; the way the panellists were selected; the people that selected the panellists; her views on ther…

398. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth to review and increase capacity on the post-primary school transport route serving Burncourt and surrounding areas to schools in Mitchelstown, in view of the significant demand for places and the number of students currently unable to obtain a seat on the service; whether additional capacity will be provided for concessionary passengers on this rou…

302. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth when school transport will be arranged for three children with additional needs, two of whom have been unable to attend a single day of the 2026/2027 school year due to the absence of transport arrangements, while the third is reliant on a taxi service that is not consistently available; the reasons transport arrangements were not put in place prio…

543. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the application by a school (details supplied) to transition to a Gaelscoil; and when a decision will be made on this application. [64880/26]

201. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures she is taking to protect rural primary schools that are at risk of losing teaching posts due to declining enrolment numbers; if her Department will review the staffing schedule for smaller rural schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53866/26]

202. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider reducing the pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools in Budget 2027, particularly in rural schools where staffing levels are under pressure due to demographic decline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53867/26]

203. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the findings of the National Primary School Survey 2026, which found that 73% of parents with children attending single-sex primary schools favoured a move towards co-education, whether her Department has plans to encourage or facilitate the amalgamation of single-sex schools that do not wish to move towards a co-educational model; the m…

366. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the date on which parents will be notified regarding whether their child has been allocated a school bus ticket under the school transport scheme. [47532/26]

367. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide the appropriate contact information for Oireachtas Members who wish to engage directly with the Bus Éireann school transport section in Tipperary regarding issues raised by parents about school transport. [47533/26]

83. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a person who has worked as a special needs assistant for many years can now contact her Department to enquire about their pension entitlements, given that the previously available dedicated pension phone line has been discontinued; the reason this phone line was removed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46119/26]

75. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children per school that are assessed by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) per year; the reason all children who have been recommended for an assessment do not have access to this service; if there is any funding available for families who have not been selected for assessment by the NEPS service to privately obtain…

728. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of teachers with English as an additional language (EAL) employed by her Department in each of the past five years; the costs of an EAL teacher per school; the criteria for a school to be granted an EAL teacher; if the costs of these posts are fully covered by her Department; the projected increase in EAL posts required over the next two…

455. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason dyslexic assessment of children in Ireland is solely carried out by educational psychologists, when current wait for a dyslexic assessment is reported to be around eighteen months, Dublin College University has a course to train teachers to assess dyslexia, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's 2025 'Diaspora Strategy' aimed …

302. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth if parents can be criminally prosecuted where their child does not attend secondary school; and the specific failures or omissions on the part of a parent that must occur before a conviction can be secured under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000. [32442/26]

1254. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that two primary schools in County Tipperary expressed interest to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in opening autism spectrum (AS) classes, but were declined on the basis of school size; and if she will request that the NCSE review its policy regarding minimum school size requirements, particularly in circumstance…

1431. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth if consideration has been given to implementing the pay agreement for school caretakers prior to the end of the current school year to ensure they do not have to go on unemployment payments. [25683/26]

1503. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason the Bus Éireann school transport fee was increased by 100% (details supplied) in a cost-of-living crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26590/26]

658. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of the school transport scheme review, and when any recommended changes will be implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18719/26]

337. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the combined costs of all projects that are currently at Stage 2a or 2b approval by her Department of education for school building projects across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15832/26]

357. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the capital project for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16220/26]

584. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth when school bus tickets will be awarded to students (details supplied). [15062/26]

157. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the plans there are to develop a further special school in south Tipperary (details supplied), given that the current schools are at full capacity and where a small rural school is at risk of closure due to falling numbers; if consideration would be given to converting such a school to a special education school; and if she will make a statement on…