I thank the Senator for raising the issue. There is a script that will be sent around. It goes through the various documentation going back to over 30 years ago. SLD, other issues and developmental language disorders are part of it. From the special education point of view, across government we passionately believe that if we invest properly in special education and education for people who need additional educational supports, we will empower children, families and the State into the future. The Senator may have s…

There is no point in me coming in here and making wild statements. I will take the Senator's point very seriously on board. I will reflect very carefully on it. I will give him that commitment. On the major point, I understand the challenges on the CDNTs and their operation. That is why a decision was made to put the education therapy service within the education system to provide occupational and speech and language therapies, for example. We have a body of work to do to make sure we are training therapists. Work …

I thank the Senator for his question, his commitment to education and the many engagements we have on education and how we can build on the education system we have. In various reports we have seen the success of the Irish education system. On a continuous basis, we meet the challenges and deficits across the system. The Government and our party are working extremely hard on education, and I am fully committed to education, as the Senator will know. I will give him a few statistics on the education system. The 2026…

More than 43,000 teaching posts have been allocated across the primary school system at present and that represents an increase of just over 5,000 teachers since the 2019-20 school year. We have been steadily improving the pupil-teacher ratio and the average class sizes during this period. There is continued investment in terms of mainstream and special education. The entire education budget has been the source of some commentary but we are really meeting the need that is presenting at both primary level and specia…

The primary school staffing schedule is a long-standing feature of the primary allocation system which ensures fairness and transparency in the allocation of mainstream class teachers in primary schools across the country. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided in an individual school is a staffing schedule for the relevant school year and the number of pupils enrolled on the previous 30 September. Staffing arrangements for primary schools for 2026-27 are set out in Circular 0025/20…

We have a huge level of investment in terms of teachers. The past number of years have seen more than 5,000 extra teachers within the school system. That is little comfort to Bunscoil Chríost Rí. In order that we are all understanding this, there is no reduction in SNAs from 2025 to 2026 or from 2026 to 2027. The Deputy will be aware of the documentation that was launched last week on the SNA workforce development plan, the redeployment plan and the new circular. That is setting out our roadmap for SNA employment. …

The Deputy mentioned 455.

I believe my information is correct in relation to that. I take the Deputy's point on the numbers and the acceptance of the school community. We have put in a huge amount. Bunscoil Chríost Rí has a huge reputation as a massive school within the Turner's Cross area, as the Deputy outlined. Any information that is submitted to the Department in terms of an appeal will be adjudicated on. I know the school is facilitating and working with a diverse community as well. It is important to say that this policy documentatio…

I compliment the way both Deputies work across political divides in terms of education and I will continue to liaise with them. We might not turn water into wine at every juncture but we certainly will try. Addressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can achieve their full potential are key priorities for me and the Minister for Education and Youth. The introduction of DEIS plus represents the most significant expansion of targeted education support since the establishment of …

I accept that engagement by all political representatives with regard to school communities in disadvantaged areas is hugely important because education is a fundamental. It can determine the trajectory of someone whether he or she is in a disadvantaged area or elsewhere. I do understand that the Deputies have a real and genuine engagement within the education sector. Although St. Dominic's National School was not identified for inclusion in DEIS plus, that does not diminish in any way the challenges faced by the s…

The Department of education and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, continue to work closely with school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools to confirm new special classes for the next school year 2026-27. The NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January of this year, which is several months earlier than was the case in 2025. The NCSE advise that 7,860 verified notifications were received by 1 October. The vast majority of the notifications are for the 2026-27 school year, but…

We have the additional capacity that is being brought on between 2025 and 2026 and we have over 1,000 special classes opened across the country. We have new capacity and then there is additional capacity which is from the movement of students from primary into second level and from those leaving education. Just to reassure Deputy O'Rourke of the figure prior to 1 October, the NCSE and Department of education are continuing to liaise with families who being notified and contacted on an ongoing basis. We are ensuring…

I can assure Deputy O'Rourke that we are tracking. We are opening the special schools and we have engaged with the special classes. Yes, of course we are tracking the admissions policies because the admissions policy is the enabler from the sanction of the special class, the physical building, the teacher and the two SNAs, and also to ensure there are students in it. It is being tracked at all times. We are constantly asked about numbers. The Minister and I are acutely aware of the need to make sure children have s…

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has verified that 7,860 children and young people notified to it by 1 October 2025 meet the requirements for special classes or special school places for the 2026-27 school year. Further children came forward after that date, and this will continue right up to September. Approximately 7,000 of the 7,860 children in question and young people have a diagnosis of autism. There is generally an adequate number of available places for children and young people with other …

Over 80% of the 546 new special classes that have been sanctioned to date are located in existing buildings. We are working extensively on this. We are acutely aware of where additional accommodation has to be made available. That is a factor in how fast we can put a class in place. We take a number of issues into account when we talk about new special classes. These include the need in an area to have the class as close to the children as possible. Since 1 October, the portal has given us great insight into the le…

The Minister and I are acutely aware of the issue. The Minister has experience of this because in the previous Dáil, she held the position I currently occupy. When the numbers come through from the portal, we are acutely aware that we need to make sure that we have an appropriate number of places. A total of 407 extra special classes were announced in 2025. We have 546 today. Between 2025 and 2026, we will have over 1,000 special classes across the country. We have inclusive special classes, with 15 at primary leve…

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on care support for children and young people with special educational needs in our schools, including the allocation of special needs assistant support to schools. It has respon…

On decisions that were made earlier this year, there will be no change. There will be no reduction in the number of SNAs who will be in school communities from 2025-26 to 2026-27. We are committed to growing the number of SNAs because we see the role of the SNA as a huge enabler in providing specialised education in school communities. They have contributed enormously to allow a child with special educational needs to reach their full potential within the education system and the work that is being done by the spec…

The summer programme is hugely valued within school communities and families. That just goes to show the huge number of families and students who have applied for the programme across the system. It came up again at the Oireachtas committee on education yesterday when the Minister and I were reflecting very carefully on the concerns that were raised about the summer programme into 2026 and the challenges there were for a number of schools and students. We are reflecting very carefully on that but of course we have …

My Department and the National Council for Special Education continue to work closely with school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools to confirm new special classes for the next school year, 2026-27. The NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January of this year, which is several months earlier than last year. In addition, we recently announced inclusive special classes as part of a new approach to supporting students with additional needs. This is one of many ways my Department is actively …