The school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. In the current school year, more than 173,000 children have been transported daily in approximately 8,200 vehicles across 10,600 routes to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In relation to the number of children who applied and paid on time and were unsuccessful in obtaining a seat in the 2024-25 school year, Bus Éireann has advised that 1,343 ineligible applicants, otherwise known as concessionary applicants, and 899 new applications for families of eligible children did not obtain seats. Ineligible applicants were for a mainstream scheme where a service existed. The families of eligible children were offered a remote area grant due to no service existing. Both groups comprise a total of 2,242 children for the 2024-25 school year. Temporary alleviation measures will continue for the 2025-26 school year at post-primary level. A phased implementation of School Transport 2030 began at the start of the 2024-25 school year. This involved a number of pilot programmes held in conjunction with the National Transport Authority, the Department of Transport and Bus Éireann. A total of 14 pilot programmes were conducted in the 2024-25 school year. These will provide valuable insights into the impact of increased demand on the scheme, the potential for integrating public transport with school transport and opportunities to promote more sustainable modes of transport. It is intended to continue the current pilots for the upcoming school year. Work is also under way to identify where further pilot programmes may be conducted. Implementation of the review’s recommendations will continue to be planned, subject to the availability of resources.
Sentiment score: 0.07
School transport is hugely important for every schoolgoing child at primary and post-primary level. When the school transport scheme was introduced, it was for families who may have been without transport. Now, it is because of working families. We need to make sure they avail of it and that there are enough buses for it. There is an ambitious programme as part of School Transport 2030 to make sure we get more and more children onto the school bus service. This year, we will again have more students on the service. We understand the importance of that. We will be working on the review of School Transport 2030 on a phased basis. The pilot programmes conducted in the previous school year are being assessed. They contain very important information to plan how we go forward. It is not possible in rural areas but in many other areas we will see whether we can integrate the school transport system for the greater benefit of the students and their families.
Sentiment score: 0.24
I take the point on starting the process earlier. I always say that from 15 August it becomes school bus ticket time. A large number of tickets are processed every day by the Department and Bus Éireann. A great deal of work is being done on this. A lot of work has been done on the entire school transport system and expanding it. I take the point that a large number of students would love to benefit from it. Our aim is to try to get more students onto the school transport system. We are working within the resources available to us, and we are trying to make sure we are giving the best possible service using the resources that are available. On some routes, there are issues with getting contractors and drivers. I take the point. It is April when people first go on and they then pay by 6 June. It takes a number of weeks for this to be done, but it is something we will look at.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I thank the Deputy very much for the question. The NCSE is the statutory agency with responsibility for the provision of special education places. The National Council for Special Education has sanctioned 407 new special classes for the coming year, bringing the total number of special classes in our schools to 3,742. Combined with 300 new special school places, this brings to 2,700 the number of new school places for children with special educational needs. This additional capacity, together with the movement of children across existing classes, means that the Department and the NCSE have created more capacity than required for the children known to the NCSE by the deadline of February 2025. The NCSE has advised me that, outside of Dublin, all children known to them by the February deadline who required a special class placement at primary and post-primary level had received places. With regard to a small number of children in the Dublin area who are seeking a special class or special school placement, the NCSE is working intensively with the parents and schools concerned to finalise arrangements for the 2025-26 school year. In addition, the NCSE is working closely with parents who came forward post the February deadline to support their children into available placements. Notwithstanding this positive work, the Deputy will be aware of the ongoing challenges in securing sufficient special class places in the Dublin area. Legislation compelling schools to open special classes where they had capacity to do so was introduced in 2018 and has been used in the Dublin area. Since then, the legislation has been streamlined to allow for shorter timeframes in which to compel schools to open the required classes and this has been a factor in the NCSE’s ability to secure agreement from schools to co-operate when asked to open special classes. For the 2024-25 school year, the NCSE prioritised opening classes in medium or larger primary schools that had not yet opened a class. I will refer to the specific school the Deputy mentioned in my supplementary reply, if that is okay.
Sentiment score: 0.50
The NCSE is working intensively with the parents and schools concerned. The school the Deputy has referred to is one such school. The NCSE engaged with the school to secure agreement to open classes. The NCSE visited the school in September 2024 and, with the support of the school patron body, it worked to sanction two classes. We can now confirm that the issues that were the subject of the Deputy's representation and those of others over recent weeks have been resolved for the school. It is my very clear understanding that all children, particularly those from within the school cohort, have now been placed within the school. I understand that agreement has been reached between the Department, the NCSE and the school authorities to that effect.
Sentiment score: 0.34
It is very important to be fair to the NCSE, the Department and ourselves. A deadline of February was put in place. Parents needed to make contact by that deadline. We worked to those figures. A number of children have come forward post the February deadline in recent weeks. We are actively engaging with those families and with schools in their communities to ensure children are accommodated in appropriate places. A decision was made a number of months ago and the Minister and I, having engaged with the Department and the NCSE, have moved the deadline for families, guardians and schools to make contact with the NCSE to identify children who will need special classes back to 1 October for next year. That will give us a better sense of the challenges that will be faced in the next school year. It is important that we have this information earlier so that we can make sure we have places available. We will be giving certainty to families prior to Christmas this year. We intend to make sure we get at this earlier.
Sentiment score: 0.35