Special Educational Needs
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-11
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Michael Moynihan (FF), Cork North-West

I welcome the students from Listowel to Leinster House. It is not a million miles from me over the border. I hope they enjoy the day. It is always a great day to experience Leinster House where our democratic process is best performed. I wish them a great day.
Over the past 25 years in particular, there has been huge investment in special education in terms of looking at the issues that pertain to individuals to try to best support them. There has been a lot of talk about the success of reading classes. The Senator outlined clearly the 9:1 ratio and its importance. She referenced a child she knew in her community. When we make cases in the Seanad or Dáil, it is important to bring personal stories because we are trying to make sure that special education is delivering for every student. Reading schools and reading classes have been developed. I am a huge fan of reading schools. I have seen students who have gone to reading schools and classes and it has transformed their lives. In some instances, they have been able to go back into mainstream but they spent one or two years or perhaps longer in a reading class or school. We have seen considerable demand or expressions of interest from families for them. We have invested significantly to try to support children and students within mainstream classes but the inspectorate and the Department are evaluating reading classes and schools and their positive impact. That report is being processed at the moment. We are trying to inform ourselves as to the importance of the reading classes.
Dyslexia has quite rightly been debated; I think this is my third or fourth time in the Seanad debating it and listening to the concerns of Members. It is a real issue because people are bringing it forward and expressing it on the floor of the Seanad. While there is huge investment in supporting children with additional needs in mainstream, the Senator quite rightly pointed out that a large number of extra classes - over 301 - are sanctioned this year, months earlier than last year. That being said, we have listened to debates from the Senator's colleagues in relation to extra time in exams for dyslexia.
We need to evaluate the documentation and the review of reading classes and, in particular, reading schools. The challenge is that there are four reading schools across the country in comparison with the level of demand across the country. We have all come across people who are super intelligent but have dyslexia and it has stifled their growth within a normal functioning society. It has not enabled them to be the best they can be. There is public discussion when people tell us their stories and how they masked it. All of that is true but we have to be mindful as we develop special education into the future. I said in the Dáil last night that the investment we put into education, including special education, would reap rewards not just for the students of today, but for society into the future.

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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