732. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the recently sanctioned special class for a school (details supplied). [41459/26]

This government is fully committed to supporting students 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 (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for students with special educational needs.

My department and the NCSE continue to work closely with school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools to confirm new special classes for the next school year 2026/2027. The NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January of this year, which is several months earlier than last year.

In addition, I 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 engaging to meet the increased demand.

565 new special classes have been sanctioned to date, including 1 in the school referred to by the Deputy.

Some further new special classes may be confirmed in the coming weeks. The earlier sanctioning of new classes provides clarity for parents and allows schools more time for the planning and establishment of new special classes. Details of the new special classes are available on the NCSE website.

My department and the NCSE continue to make a range of supports available for schools opening special classes which include the provision of teacher and special needs assistant (SNA) resources, enhanced capitation grants, assistive technology grants, the school transport scheme, dedicated training and guidance and resource documents. The earlier a school agrees to establish a new special class the more time that is available to access training, complete any refurbishment works, recruit new staff and complete admissions processes.

My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to achieve their full potential.