Special Educational Needs
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-28
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Barry Heneghan (IND), Dublin Bay North

The Minister of State will be aware that I will always mention the schools in north Dublin to him. With regard to St. Francis Junior School, it had 165 registered instead of 166. In this school 40% of the current students are from the Traveller community. They cannot lose a mainstream teacher. It will put extreme pressure on them. The Minister of State will be aware, because I am always bringing it up, that the Stapolin Educate Together school needs to have that modular building sanctioned. It has the ability to do brilliant things. I thank the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, for her response to the parliamentary question today relating to Gaelcholáiste Reachrann. The addition of those two special educational needs classes is needed. It is great that the data has been shown in that area, and the parents are happy, but I would love to see that school moving forward. The response to the parliamentary question said that it would be moving and progressed.
The current SNA review for Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol took place more than five months ago yet the school has received no formal communication of the outcome. In the meantime, staff are being left to manage impossible circumstances with one SNA.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-28