Special Educational Needs
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-11
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Lorraine Clifford-Lee (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement debate this morning. This issue is something I am very passionate about and I have spoken to him about it previously. There is an urgent need to open more reading classes in north county Dublin for children with dyslexia, and not just in north county Dublin but nationally. Within special education provision, this area is one where we are falling down.
Reading classes were first established by Micheál Martin when he was the Minister for education. They are classes for children with dyslexia, with a ratio of 9:1 and a strong focus on literacy attainment. They are specifically for children with very significant dyslexia whose basic literacy skills is very low. The children attend for two years during primary school and then return to their own schools to continue their education. Children in the first or second percentile are most likely to be granted a place in a reading class or in one of the four specific reading schools nationally. They should have completed second class or be at least eight years old and not more than 12. This seems to be the optimal age for this hyper focus on reading skills, when they benefit most. An estimated 10% of the population has dyslexia but, as I said, these specific reading classes and reading schools are for the most impacted children.
We have a very low number of reading classes in north county Dublin. There are two in the St. Oliver Plunkett school in Malahide, two in St. Molaga's in Balbriggan and two in the Holy Family Senior National School in Swords. Nationally, the figure is even far lower. We have a high population in north county Dublin and a very young population. There is huge demand and parents cannot get their kids into these classes. As well as that, the Minister of State will be aware that we have four dedicated reading schools nationally. The Catherine McAuley National School in Baggot Street here in Dublin, not far from Leinster House, takes kids from Dublin and the wider Dublin area. There are children coming from Kildare and Meath into Catherine McAuley's every day. There is also the Oliver Plunkett school in Monkstown, St. Rose's National School in Tallaght and St. Killian's school in Bishopstown, Cork. Four schools for the whole country is not much at all.
A child I know in north county Dublin has been refused a place in the Catherine McAuley school. He is below the first percentile for his age group. He is a beautiful, intelligent, talented and charismatic child and he needs access to specialised education. He will be adversely affected and his life will be adversely affected due to there being inadequate places. His family are distraught. They cannot access a place. He is getting great support within the school he is attending but a mainstream school with support is not sufficient and he needs a place. This story is replicated in families right across north county Dublin and right across the country. We are failing children with dyslexia by not supporting their needs.
The Minister of State has put great effort into providing specialised education for children with autism and I know he is very passionate about it. We are not where we need to be but we are making great progress and there were some school announcements just this week. We are, however, failing children with dyslexia and they have been forgotten about over the past number of years. The impact of opening reading classes would be enormous because the children only stay for two years and then they go back to their own schools. The number of children who would go through a reading class, for example over a period of ten years, would be far greater than in a special education unit. I would like a commitment from the Minister of State that he will assess the level of demand and make provision within the Department's budget to open more reading classes in north county Dublin for the 2026-27 school year.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:37+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-11