Questions

356. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason sanction approvals for the 2026 Home-Based Summer Programme have not yet issued to participating families; the number of applications received to date; when sanction emails will issue to parents and guardians; and the measures being taken to ensure that children do not lose access to tutors or programme hours as a result of delays in the a…

832. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has conducted an assessment of the availability of autism class places and special school capacity at primary and post-primary level in Longford and Westmeath ahead of the upcoming school year; and if gaps identified will be addressed. [42243/26]

835. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students in Longford-Westmeath currently awaiting school places in special classes or special schools ahead of the upcoming academic year. [42297/26]

359. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary school teachers per county, who are currently in receipt of the special education teacher diploma allowance, in tabular form. [41120/26]

360. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary school teachers, currently teaching in any special education setting in a mainstream school, who hold the special education teacher diploma but are not in receipt of the special education teacher diploma allowance. [41121/26]

108. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the response of her Department to concerns raised by disability organisations regarding the rollout of new inclusive special classes for the 2026/2027 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29010/26]

338. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the basis on which an assistive technology application was refused, twice to date, for a child (details supplied) who has a diagnosis of dysgraphia and a joint occupational therapist/physiotherapist recommendation that assistive technology is essential on a full-time basis in order that they can access the school curriculum. [17928/26]

343. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children with SEN who have been refused an offer for a school place in counties Longford and Westmeath for the coming September intake; the breakdown of those refusals by disability type and school level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17944/26]

522. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the criteria and provision for one-to-one support in mainstream classes for children with additional needs; the number of children currently receiving such support; and whether there are plans to expand this support to ensure inclusion for children who cannot access a dedicated SEN class. [14422/26]

524. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports and interventions in place for children who require SEN placements but live outside the catchment area of schools with available SEN classes; and whether additional funding or provisions are being considered to ensure equitable access. [14424/26]

317. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide, with respect to the 2026/27 academic year, a full list of schools in Longford-Westmeath that have been sanctioned by the NCSE and her Department to open new ASD classrooms; the timeframe for delivery for each one; the status of each; to outline the supports that will be put in place to ensure these classes are operational in a timely mann…

1163. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will urgently intervene to resolve the situation at school (details supplied), where an approved ASD class has been supressed; the steps her Department is taking to ensure that these children receive the appropriate support and placement in line with their assessed needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42856/25]

1175. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will urgently intervene to resolve the situation at a school (details supplied) where an approved ASD class has been supressed, resulting in four local children being denied access to an autism classroom for the coming school year; the steps her Department is taking to ensure that these children receive the appropriate support and placement i…

90. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an updated list of all primary and post-primary schools that have been sanctioned for an ASD class for the 2025-26 school year. [39382/25]

216. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools, including their ethos, who have received suppression of special class notices to date in 2025, including the number of these classes, in tabular form per county; to include those which were due to open for the school year 2025/2026, the maximum capacity of each and the financial expenditure incurred to date in relation to these…

217. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide the number of Gaelscoileanna that have requested to alter their ethos contrary to the Autism Good Practice Guidance for Schools (details supplied). [38402/25]

218. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth in relation to the special education or ASD classes sanctioned in 2024 and 2025, including those who have received suppression notices, the cost of all forms of consultancy fees associated with each individual sanctioned rooms or classes. [38404/25]

220. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth where a sanction for a special class has been revoked via a suppression notice, to outline the step by step process, including the key decision makers involved, the engagement with the school, the NCSE and the parents who have enrolled children in these classes for the upcoming school year. [38411/25]

390. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current average processing time for schools’ applications to the NCSE for additional SNA supports following a formal diagnosis; the difference in response time between mainstream schools and special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37175/25]

391. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the average waiting time for a child with a diagnosis of moderate to severe or profound intellectual disability to be offered an appropriate school placement, by county, and by category of need, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37176/25]

102. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the average waiting time for a child with ASD to be allocated a place in a special class, including the length of time children are waiting on their local school’s SNA and resources list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36446/25]

485. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department plans to open a special class for boys in any of the primary schools in Moate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25836/25]

351. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education to consider extending the pilots for enhanced in-school therapy supports to special schools in the midlands; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5926/25]

352. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education how the effectiveness and outcomes of the pilots for enhanced in-school therapy supports to special schools in the midlands are being monitored; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5927/25]

357. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education if more schools in an area (details supplied) have been sanctioned to open an ASD class for 2025/2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5985/25]