Written answer
Special Educational Needs
The NCSE supports placement efforts; 587 special classes were sanctioned for 2026/27, while home tuition remains an interim measure, not a substitute for school.
108. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps she is taking to secure appropriate school placements for children with special educational needs who are currently without a school place and remaining at home. [73897/26]
Comment on this
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. Parents and schools can contact the NCSE directly using the details available on the NCSE's https://ncse.ie/seno-contact-information
Local special educational needs organisers (SENOs) are available to offer advice, support and guidance as required to ensure students with special educational needs are supported to achieve their full potential.
My department and the NCSE have sanctioned 587 new special classes for the school year 2026/27, including 70 inclusive special classes. This is one of many ways my department is actively engaging to meet increased demand. It brings the total number of special classes sanctioned to date to over 4,300. Forward planning has already commenced ahead of the 2027/28 school year.
In addition, the home tuition scheme provides funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for;
(a) Early educational intervention for children with autism.
(b) Students with special educational needs seeking an educational placement in a recognised school
(c) Students, enrolled in schools, with a significant medical condition/school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety, which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school.
It should be noted that home tuition is provided as an interim measure and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement. The preferred approach is that students are educated in school settings where they have access to fully qualified teachers, individualised education programmes, special needs assistants, school curriculum with the option, where possible and appropriate, of full or partial integration and interaction with student peers.
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.