Plans to establish 5 New Special Schools

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound, on 21/10/2024. Plans to establish 5 New Special Schools

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Minister for Education Norma Foley TD and Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion Hildegarde Naughton TD have on 18 October, announced plans to establish five new special schools next year to cater for the increasing number of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN).

The schools will cater for children and young people with complex special education needs up to 18 years of age. They are being sanctioned as early as possible as part of advanced forward planning for the next school year 2025/2026 to ensure that appropriate placements are available where needed to meet the needs of students with special educational needs.

The five new special schools will be established in counties Cork, Dublin (2), Monaghan and Tipperary. This followed analysis by the NCSE and the Department of Education which identified that the level of need in these particular areas could not be catered for by expanding places in existing special schools.

These additions to the country’s existing network of 124 NCSE supported special schools is part of the expanded package of €2.9 billion in Budget 2025 for special needs education.

Today’s early announcement of the new schools is an important milestone because it allows more time for the planning of school admissions, recruitment of staff, staff training and completion of necessary building works.

It is envisaged that existing buildings will be repurposed to facilitate the opening of the new special schools for the 2025/26 school year. Further details such as the precise location of the new schools in each county will be confirmed in due course as part of the finalisation of arrangements for the opening of the new special schools.

The forward planning for special education includes a new circular letter 0080/2024 New measures to support the Forward Planning for Special Education Provision setting out new measures to support the forward planning of special education provision. This was issued in early October by the Department to all schools, following intensive stakeholder engagement,

Among the measures outlined in the new circular letter include:

Up to 2,700 new places for children with special educational needs.

An additional 768 special education teachers and 1,600 special needs assistants (SNAs) to support children across mainstream, special classes and special schools. This is the highest ever number of SNAs allocated and so in 2025 we will have over 23,000 SNAs in our education system. This is in recognition of the growing needs of children across all settings. In total there will be over 44,000 dedicated staff to support children with special educational needs in our schools.

Up to 400 additional special classes for the 2025/26 school year.

The expansion of capacity in existing special schools around the country.

Additional funding for the School Transport Scheme to provide more places for children with special educational needs and to cover bus contractor costs.

Increased funding for the Summer Programme, which is of enormous benefit to some of the most vulnerable children in our society.

Over the last number of years, 11 special schools have been established in counties Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Limerick, Meath and Wexford. As part of forward planning undertaken by the Department and the NCSE, additional new special schools are now being planned in the four counties of Cork, Dublin, Monaghan and Tipperary. This forward planning included an assessment of information and data in relation to existing capacity, demand, waiting lists, student enrolment projections, and the number of children travelling outside of their local area to access a special school placement.

The NCSE will work closely with the families of the children and young people concerned to assist them in accessing the new places which will become available for the 2025/26 school year.

Planning for the establishment and opening of the new special schools will begin immediately. This will include a determination of the size of the school required so that the necessary staff recruitment, school policy development and related arrangements can be put in train. Details in relation to the location of the new special schools, the admission process and the number of places to be offered for 2025/26 school year in each new special school will be confirmed shortly. The details of the patron body for each new special school will be confirmed also.

In addition to the establishment of five new schools for the 2025/26 school year, a significant number of school building projects relating to special schools are currently in progress.

In the interim, some modular accommodation projects and reconfiguration works currently being planned or underway at special schools include:

Dublin - 20548N Danu Community Special School - 2 additional classrooms

Galway - 19201O - Lakeview School - 1additional classroom

Galway - 20329B - Tígh Nan Dooley Child Education and Development Centre - 1 additional classrooms

Kerry -19547E - St Francis Special School- 2 additional classrooms

Kerry - 19376D - St Ita & St Joseph’s SS- 2 additional classrooms

Kildare - 20376K - Saplings Special School - 2 additional classrooms

Kilkenny - 19210P - Mother of Fair Love Special School - 2 additional classrooms

Mayo - 19773N - St Nicholas Special School - 1 additional classrooms

Roscommon - 19789F - Scoil Micheal Naofa - 2 additional classrooms

Sligo - 19206B - St. Cecilia's School - 1 additional classrooms

Information on special schools and the list of mainstream schools with special classes, including new special classes for the current 2024/25 school year, and the types and locations of these classes is published on the NCSE website and is available at
www.ncse.ie . The NCSE will continue to update the list as classes are sanctioned ahead of the 2025/26 school year.

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