Dáil Éireann debate –
Wednesday, 13 May 2026
Vol. 1085 No. 5
Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile – Other Members’ Questions
Deputy Brendan Smith
• I have previously welcomed the substantial and much-needed increase in investment in special education. The establishment of additional special classes and autism spectrum disorder units and the provision of additional staffing resources are positive developments in the context of overall education provision in our country. More investment is needed to establish more special classes. I commend the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the Minister, Deputy Naughton. The chief executive of the NCSE, John Kearney, and his colleagues are very determined to make more progress in this area.
• The Taoiseach may recall that I have previously raised with him and with other members of the Government the existing inequity and the disadvantages suffered by smaller schools due to the difficulty they have in reaching the required enrolment threshold for special classes. As I pointed out previously, this inequity impacts severely on schools that are under the patronage of the smaller churches. Such schools generally have small enrolments. This enrolment threshold also impacts severely on other smaller schools which, in most instances, are located in what are rural and, sometimes, remote areas. We are all aware of children having to travel too far to access special classes. That is far from ideal for pupils or parents. I again appeal for the enrolment threshold to be amended. A new model of system for the establishment of special classes is needed now. It is necessary to properly support smaller schools and schools under the patronage of the Protestant and smaller churches. Those smaller schools want to cater for all their pupils in the best possible way. The legitimate interests of those schools must be addressed.
• Children need to be facilitated with appropriate school placements as near to their homes as possible and, if at all possible, with their siblings. Regrettably, the current model has detrimental effects on our smaller schools. I am aware of instances where families who have a child in a special class in a larger school have transferred a sibling or siblings to that larger school. Pupils leaving their own catchment areas can impact on the viability of small schools in the longer term. I fully understand the strong and legitimate wish of parents to have their children attend the same primary school. There must be an alternative way to improve access to local schools. If additional resources are needed, they should be provided. In rolling out the much-needed additional investment in special education, the Department must ensure that those welcome decisions and measures do not cause problems in the long term for our smaller schools, in some instances threatening their very viability. We cannot emphasise strongly enough the need to have siblings attend the same school.
The Taoiseach
• I thank Deputy Smith for raising what is a fair and important point. I know this is something he has worked tirelessly to improve. The current threshold of six pupils for a special class at primary level with one teacher and two SNAs was introduced in 1998, when I happened to be Minister for Education and Science. We introduced a model of this kind for the first time and brought SNAs into mainstream education. Since then, the model has supported an enormous expansion of special education provision. Of course, the Deputy’s point is that it might not always work for small rural schools. He mentioned instances where it has not and has particularly identified the issue of siblings and families attending the local school. We do not want children with additional needs having to travel unduly long distances simply because their local school cannot reach a threshold. The concern is specific and legitimate. The Department probably needs to look at this to identify both the scale of the problem and what the issues are, and how one would go about dealing with the latter.
• The Deputy’s point is that if a small rural school cannot reach the enrolment threshold of six children with additional needs, then those children may be denied a local placement, forcing families to deal with long daily journeys and often separating children from their siblings in the same school. That is an additional burden on families.
• The preference has been for the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, and the Department to consider opening special classes in medium and larger primary schools. The issue when it comes to smaller primary schools has been more challenging. Of the 504 new special classes sanctioned so far by the NCSE for the coming school year, 330 are at primary level. More than one third, or 139, of those will be opening in primary schools with eight teachers or fewer. Of those, 69 will be opening in primary schools with four teachers or fewer. That is a significant number in itself. We need to drill down into the detail of this in order to try to identify the need and what, potentially, the response could be. This does demonstrate that the NCSE will sanction special classes in our small primary schools where there is a level of need and where there are schools with available accommodation and a willingness to open new special classes. The new inclusive special class model introduced this year is an example of an innovative step in this space, allowing 12 students to be supported in existing special classroom where space is constrained.
• As of now, this may not meet the Deputy’s point about the rural school threshold, but the inclusive special class model is a more innovative approach. It may provide a route to try to deal with the issues the Deputy identified. It will take a bit more working out, but—–
An Ceann Comhairle
• Thank you, Taoiseach.
The Taoiseach
• —–that may provide some opportunities into the future.
Deputy Brendan Smith
• I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. I previously mentioned to the Taoiseach the case of Cavan No. 1 National School in Cavan town, which is under the patronage of the Church of Ireland and which has done exceptional work in providing a top-quality education for children from different denominations and of different nationalities. Inclusion is at the very heart of all activities in the school, and the work of the principal, Sabrina Richardson, her staff colleagues and the board of management is to be strongly commended. The principal has outlined in great detail to the NCSE and the Department of education the urgent need the school has for a special class. This school has also been waiting far too long for approval from the Department for basic improvement works which are urgently needed. I ask the Taoiseach to use his good offices to request that Department give urgent consideration to issuing approval in respect of the school’s applications for the establishment of a special class and for the emergency works.
• The Taoiseach may recall in 2011 or 2012, he along, Michael Moynihan, myself and others campaigned very strongly against the proposal by the then Minister for education to change the pupil-teacher ratio, which would have—–
An Ceann Comhairle
• The Taoiseach to respond.
Deputy Brendan Smith
• —–impacted very severely on schools under the patronage of the smaller churches. We must ensure that policies do not impact severely on small schools.
The Taoiseach
• I thank the Deputy again for his question on the Church of Ireland school in Cavan town and the special class issue. I am conscious the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is in the Chamber as well. I take it he will have taken on board what the Deputy said.
• On the emergency works application, there were some issues with the current proposal because it was well in excess of the minimum scope under the emergency works scheme. However, the Department of Education and Youth emergency works scheme team will work with the school to provide a solution that addresses the root issue the school is experiencing. There is hope for flexibility in that regard in order that the issue might be resolved for the school.
• I will talk to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the Minister, Deputy Naughton, with a view to making sure that we can meet positively the request from the school in terms of a special class.
