Special Educational Needs

1087. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, the supports, training, and resources that will be provided to ensure that any new assessment responsibilities do not exacerbate already unsustainable workload levels in schools, as highlighted in recent research on teacher burnout; and if she will m…

1088. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, the reason removal of diagnostic requirements was announced without consultation with teachers, unions, or parents; how her Department intends to restore trust and ensure transparency in future policymaking; and if she will make a statement on the ma…

1089. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, if the designation of special classes and special schools is being altered or dismantled as part of this policy change; if not, the reason this was not made clear at the time of announcement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74491/25]

1090. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, to provide a timeline for the publication of the full framework governing access to special classes and schools, to commit to halting implementation until robust consultation with educators and stakeholders has taken place; and if she will make a sta…

1091. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, whether she accepts that diagnostic reports are not merely bureaucratic hurdles but essential tools for children’s self-understanding and for evidence-based teaching; and the way in which her Department intends to safeguard these rights under the new…

1109. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the rationale for the 1 October deadline for applications requiring a letter of eligibility from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) for enrolment in special schools; if she will consider waiving or extending this deadline in exceptional circumstances, such as where a child's assessment has recently changed,…

1112. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the statutory role and duties of a Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO), including how decision making and accountability operate in practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74580/25]

1136. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current rules that prevent students in special schools from accessing transition year or an equivalent additional year; if she will ensure that these students have the same opportunity as their peers in mainstream schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74804/25]

1137. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth when her Department last reviewed Rule 64 -1 of the Rules for National Schools in relation to the upper age limit for attendance at special schools; whether consideration is being given to amending this rule; whether an implementation timeline has been identified for any such amendment; and if she will make a statement on the m…

1138. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures which are currently in place to facilitate access to an additional year of education for students in special schools with the highest level of need; whether exemptions or other administrative arrangements are used for this purpose; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74806/25]

1160. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special school and special class places available in an area (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74911/25]

1161. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education and Youth the location of the 148 special classes within County Kildare; the location of the 17 new special classes; the location of the six special schools within Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74917/25]

1164. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the proposed removal of requiring assessment of need reports to access special educational places, when the new criteria and decision-making process for deciding access to special educational places will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75021/25]

1165. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the proposed removal of requiring assessment of need reports to access special educational places, who will conduct the proposed educational assessments; will qualified psychological and disability professionals be required to input into the proposed “educational assessments”; and if she will make a statement on the ma…

1166. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the proposed removal of requiring assessment of need reports to access special educational places, what consultation was undertaken with teachers and their representative groups into the effects that the proposed change would have on children with additional educational needs; and if she will make a statement on the ma…

1167. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the proposed removal of requiring assessment of need reports to access special educational places, how can an “educational assessment” be conducted without diagnostic expertise to determine the appropriate placement of children with complex educational needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75024/25]

1170. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth to procure decodable readers for use by children with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75037/25]

1182. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide a list of names of special schools across the State that have an early intervention class. [1191/26]

1199. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the procedures for allocating the number of posts of responsibility and the remuneration for principalship and deputy principalship within special schools given at present only the number of teachers employed directly by the board is recognised by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. …

1203. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of school management in relation to significant waiting lists for a special class in a school (details supplied); the actions she will take to address these concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1428/26]

1204. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the provision of a third special class in a school (details supplied) that had been committed to previously; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1429/26]

1205. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she can provide a timeline for the provision of a third special class in a school (details supplied) that had been committed to previously; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1430/26]

1206. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will facilitate a meeting between Department officials and the management of a school (details supplied) in relation to increase the provision of special school places in this school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1431/26]

1207. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will establish procedures within her Department so that special needs assistants, going forward, will only require to be Garda vetted on one occasion and that this vetting would be acceptable in all schools for a period of fixed duration; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1437/26]

1211. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the list of schools sanctioned for special classes for 2026-2027 will be published; the assurances she can give to parents of children with additional needs who are currently awaiting news on the provision of such classes in their localities that adequate levels of provision will be available for the coming school year; a…