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 some are for beyond that. In addition, we recently announced inclusive special classes as part of a new approach to supporting students with additional needs. This is one of the many ways the Department is actively engaging to meet the increased demand. As of 28 May 2026, 546 new special classes have been sanctioned, including 47 inclusive special classes, which is 32 at post-primary level and 15 at primary level. I expect schools opening new special classes to move forward now with the admissions processes for these new classes. In addition to providing additional special class places, four new special schools are being established. These schools will be established in Balbriggan, CityWest, Bray and Monasterevin. Data continues to be reviewed and analysed by the NCSE, which continues to engage with families. It is the experience of the NCSE that some families who contacted them may decide not to apply for a special education place. This may be where a place is not in a particular school of choice or where the student is already being supported appropriately in their existing placement. The Department and the NCSE will continue to closely monitor the need for further special class and special school places nationwide as part of forward planning for the 2027-28 school year. The NCSE continues to engage closely with schools and families to track the placement of children and young people and determine the current remaining level of need for specialist places at local level.
Sentiment score: 0.41
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 we have places at primary, post-primary and special schools. That work has been intensifying right through the last number of months, into this week and beyond. We are working meticulously. I could not use any other word. There is engagement between the National Council for Special Education and the Department with families and with school communities to ensure we have appropriate school places for September 2026. That work is ongoing.
Sentiment score: 0.25
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 school places and we are working extremely hard on it. We are across this, day in, day out, right across the Department and the NCSE. I assure Deputy O'Rourke that the NCSE is meticulously working with families and with school communities. When sanctioning takes place, it is then on to the admissions policy to enable that class to be populated by students and to ensure they are in for the school year. The vast majority of those that have been sanctioned have the admissions policy up and running and most of them have it completed at this stage.
Sentiment score: 0.28
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 diagnoses. The focus, therefore, continues to be on providing new places for children and young people with autism. That data continues to be reviewed and analysed by the NCSE, which will continue to engage with families. It is the experience of the NCSE that some families who contacted it may decide not to apply for a special education place. This may be where a place is not in a particular school of choice of where a student is already being supported appropriately in his or her existing school. Data available to the NCSE shows that approximately 75% of the children and young people who came forward by the 1 October deadline are already enrolled in school. As in previous years, the priority groups for access to specialist placements for the 2026-27 school year comprise those without school places, namely young children moving into primary school, children moving from primary to post-primary, children moving from one area to another or those who need to be accommodated where previous placements have broken down. Budget 2026 initially provided for 3,000 new places. There are over 2,500 places available through the normal annual movement of students from primary to post-primary and finishing schools. The additional funding for which the Department received approval from the Government last month will allow us to provide further new specialised classes and special school places over and above the 3,000 new places already budgeted for. The NCSE can confirm that there are 546 new special classes for the next school year. I will come back to that point in my supplementary response.
Sentiment score: 0.19
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 level of need that exists. When parents indicate on the portal that their children have special education requirements, it behoves the Department and the NCSE to reach out and understand the need of the families involved. The important piece is the fieldwork and groundwork that are taking place between the special educational needs organisers, SENOs, and families to understand the need that exists and parents' concerns. We used one section 37A procedure last year. We are continuing to engage with schools and school communities to ensure that we use the minimum number necessary.
Sentiment score: 0.28
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 level and 32 at post-primary level, which are being welcomed in the community. It is important that the portal allows the parent or guardian to notify the Department of a child with additional needs. The NCSE has to work through that and engage with the families. We also have to engage with school communities. A huge volume of work is happening with in the Department and the NCSE at all times across the year. There are bodies in schools to make sure that we are doing the right thing. We have a lot of capacity this year. We are working through every family and every requirement.
Sentiment score: 0.24