Special Educational Needs

397. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children with special educational needs in rural parts of the country that have to travel outside their area to receive appropriate education in cities or large towns due to lack of services in their own area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37250/25]

405. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth to examine the case of a child (details supplied) in need of SNA support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37305/25]

406. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason SNA hours have been refused for a very vulnerable child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37323/25]

412. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is aware that an ASD class sanctioned in a school (details supplied) is still not open. [37369/25]

422. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 407 of 1 July 2025, if her attention has been drawn to the particular shortage of special classes for children with a general learning disability, not related to ASD, within mainstream schools in the wider Stillorgan and Blackrock areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37602/25]

431. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school (details supplied) has been denied an additional special needs assistant (SNA) by the NCSE following a recommendation made for the additional SNA by the local SENO following a formal review of the school's staffing allocation; why this recommendation was ignored; if she will seek a review by the NCSE of this …

439. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 329 of 1 July 2025, the way in which she can justify 22 early intervention classes in Cork and only two in Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37759/25]

445. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to support people learning Braille, Irish Sign Language and other ways of communication in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37899/25]

446. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to recruit teachers qualified in Braille, Irish Sign Language and other ways of communication in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37900/25]

447. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to recruit more teachers with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37901/25]

448. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to give an explanation that of the 399 new special classes due to open in September, only two are designated for students with mild general learning disabilities at post-primary level; the reason both are being established in the same school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37905/25]

449. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will prioritise the establishment of additional special classes in mainstream post-primary schools for students with mild general learning disabilities, including those with Down's syndrome; if she will address the current shortfall in such provision, given the majority of existing classes are focused on students with aut…

450. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will develop a specific plan to support parents of children with Down's syndrome who are seeking a place in a special class in a mainstream post-primary school (details supplied); if she will respond to concerns that some students are currently not being accommodated in the existing system; and if she will make…

451. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the provision of a new modular special educational needs unit at a school (details supplied). [37930/25]

203. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason there was a reduction in special needs assistant support for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36688/25]

208. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will ensure a child (details supplied) is allocated an SNA as recommended by separate assessments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36713/25]

209. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children who have been in receipt of the July provision for each county for each of the past five years; and if she will ensure that the necessary resources are put in place so that children can receive July provision as is necessary. [36716/25]

219. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if any of the 399 new special education classes that were sanctioned for the coming school year have had their sanctioning withdrawn; and if so, the number. [36754/25]

220. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the NCSE has any role in the admission of children into a school or if the admission of a child into a school is exclusively a matter for the school in accordance with its admissions policy. [36755/25]

225. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review a school’s (details supplied) SNA allocation given it is inadequate to meet the needs of children attending the school; if she will allow an appeal to be progressed as soon as possible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36842/25]

88. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans in relation to educational assessments; specifically, if she intends to review the use of standardised tests in light of evidence demonstrating their significant limitations in accurately assessing children with complex needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36244/25]

89. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); if she will instruct their Department to ensure that schools are allocated the appropriate number of SNAs, in order to ensure that children receive an adequate level of care and that school staff can perform their duties without any undue stress; and if she …

97. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a decision will be made on an appeal for a child (details supplied) for the home-based summer programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36384/25]

98. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth to overturn her Department’s decision to refuse an exemption to rule 64(1) for the 2025-26 school year in the case of a pupil (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36390/25]

100. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the impact of the special schools redesignation on a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36406/25]