Special Educational Needs
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-29
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Pauline Tully (SF), Cultural and Educational Panel

It is a little disappointing.
I was not aware of a rule that applies to special schools only, which is that students must complete their education in the year that they turn 18, until I was contacted by the parents of a young lad who is 17 at the moment. He is in a special school. He attended a mainstream primary school until he was 12 or 13. He had been diagnosed with moderate to severe autism and it was felt that his education needs would be better served in a special school.
He started special school in September 2021. This year, when he went back to school and turned 17, his parents were informed that this would be his final year in the school. They were quite surprised because they thought he would have another year. If he had stayed in mainstream school, he could have had six years of education. Most students now do, or have the option of doing, transition year and most students are now 19 or approaching it before they finish school. He will be 17 when he finishes school in June. He will turn 18 during the summer and they feel it is too young for him. They were surprised by it. They have appealed it through the school principal, but the appeal will not be heard until March or April and they feel that is too long.
They will have this uncertainty hanging over them from when they received the letter in September until March or April of this year. For a young person who is autistic, routine is vital, as is planning for any change. They have been unable to do that with him because they do not want him to prepare for leaving school and going on to something else given that we hope he will get the year at school. That is their preference. They have done some preparation, but they do not want to do too much in case it does not happen.
Why is this the situation? As I said, most children are now five when they start school. They do eight years in primary school and six years in secondary school so they are 19 or approaching 19 when they leave school. It seems a little unfair that children in a special school setting are told they must complete their education in the year they turn 18. Why does this anomaly exist? Can it be addressed to allow them to stay at least until they are 19? There is an appeals process, but it takes too long and it is too late in the year for many students. I am not sure how many are affected. I am sure it is not a huge number, but I am also sure it would not be a big issue to change it to allow students to stay in school until they are 19.
When I was teaching, I taught in a mainstream school, but there were many students there with additional educational needs and one student celebrated her 21st birthday while at school. There was no issue. She had repeated school years in primary school, which left her a little older, but there was no issue with it. There was no rule that she had to leave at the age of 18 or 19. The same should apply to special schools.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:34+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-29