1509. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special classes to be delivered with a school building project (details supplied); the number of places will be available; and when the class or classes are likely to be operational. [63671/26]

The school referred to by the Deputy is part of a campus project for the phased construction of two 16 classroom primary schools with a PE hall for the post primary school on a shared campus.

The major building project is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning Stage 4 – Construction.

This project is currently at an advanced stage of construction (Stage 4) with an expected completion date of Q4 2026.

This project will provide 4 classrooms for children with Special Educational Needs across the two schools.

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. The department is guided by the NCSE in relation to the requirement for special classes in the first instance.

In relation to the specific school referenced by the Deputy, the NCSE have confirmed that it has sanctioned a Special Class at the school for the 2026/2027 school year and the school have enrolled pupils for this class. I can assure the Deputy, that the NCSE will continue to monitor the requirements for special class places at the school in question and indeed the School Planning Area (SPA) as a whole. As with all SPAs the NCSE will engage with school authorities to ensure sufficient provision of special class places to meet the demands in each area.

587 new special classes were sanctioned for the 2026/27 school year. Of these, 140 are in County Dublin, 94 at primary and 46 at post-primary level. This brings to 845 the number of special classes currently in operation in the county and over 4,320 special classes in mainstream schools nationwide. There are also 44 special schools in Co. Dublin with approximately 2,750 students enrolled.

Since 2020, the Department of Education has provided over €2 billion in capital funding for Dublin schools. Over this period, a total of 300 schools have been upgraded through provision of either a new school building, extension, modular accommodation or climate pathfinder projects.

20 school projects to go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027 were included in the NDP Implementation Plan. There are currently 47 large-scale, extension, modular or climate pathfinder projects in Dublin under construction.

There are also 53 projects underway through the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme.