Press release

Ministers Foley and Madigan announce two new special schools as part of forward planning for 2023/24

From: Department of Education
Published on: 12 April 2023
Last updated on: 12 April 2023

Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan have today (12 April) announced the establishment of two new special schools as part of a comprehensive update on enhanced education provision for students with special educational needs.

The two new special schools, one in Carrigtwohill, east Cork and one in Dublin 7, will be established for the 2023/24 school year.

Today’s announcement will ensure continued, significant expansion of special class capacity, particularly at post-primary level.

Along with the two new special schools the following measures are being progressed:

218 new special classes have been confirmed for opening in 2023, with more to be confirmed in the coming weeks – 126 at primary and 92 at post-primary level
capacity will be expanded in 11 other special schools around the country. See list below
allocations of special needs assistants will be published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) before 30 April, an earlier date than usual to allow schools to plan
a new SNA Workforce Development Unit has been established in the department
the NCSE is undertaking a recruitment process and campaign to fill special educational needs organiser (SENO) vacancies and hire additional SENOs

Minister Foley said:

“Our education system is at its best when it has the welfare and wellbeing of our children at its heart, and when every child and young person feels welcomed, nurtured, and inspired within their school community. As Minister for Education I am committed to having an education system that works for everyone within it.

“The announcement of new provision today including two new special schools serving Dublin and Cork is a significant step forward and I am pleased that we are making real progress in meeting the needs of our young people and collaborating in new ways to ensure every child has access to a welcoming and inclusive environment to learn and flourish.

“I want to thank all of the parents, schools, patron bodies and other stakeholders for their ongoing engagement with the department and with the NCSE. I know that the additional capacity announced today will be a welcome relief to the families that do not yet have a school place for next September.

“This announcement reflects the very strong emphasis on forward planning and roll-out of provision for children and young people with special educational needs.

“Our school communities have demonstrated a real commitment to inclusion. I would like to thank those involved in supporting the continued establishment of special classes. Throughout Ireland, the number of special classes continues to grow year on year ensuring that children and young people have access to school places which are appropriate to their needs."

Minister Madigan said:

“As Minister of State for Special Education, I am committed to keeping inclusion at the heart of education by ensuring that every child has a school place appropriate for their needs. Special schools play a vital role, and it is for this reason that I am delighted to have secured agreement for the establishment of two new special schools in East Cork and Dublin, parts of the country where need has been highest.

“At this time of year, many families are applying for school places for their children. It can be a period of anxiety. I am determined to support students and families in securing school places where they are needed. I know this can be a difficult process and I want to make it as easy as possible. Today’s announcement is about saying to families that we understand the pressures you are facing, we are on your side, and we are committed to ensuring that as many places as possible are available.

“I am delighted to have secured the additional provision being announced today. This is a much-needed development which will help to meet the demand for special school places in these areas.

“The major investment of an additional €13 million in the NCSE is being undertaken so that the NSCE can respond effectively, compassionately and quickly to the increased need in our education system so that children and their families are fully supported and achieve the best possible education outcomes. I want to thank everyone involved in this endeavour. I also want to be clear that work continues to meet the ongoing demand for special education placements.”

Two new special schools, one in Carrigtwohill, east Cork and one in Dublin 7, will be established for the 2023/24 school year. These schools will provide for the enrolment of children and young people with autism and complex learning needs up to 18 years of age. It is envisioned that both special schools will operate under the patronage of the local education and training Boards; Cork ETB and City of Dublin ETB.

It is intended that places will be prioritised for children who have no offer of a special school place for the 2023/24 school year. Details in relation to the location of the new special schools, the admission process and the number of places to be offered for 2023/24 in each new special school will be confirmed very shortly.

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 during the 2023/24 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. This will also include ongoing communication with the families concerned.

In addition to the establishment of two new schools in the school year 2023/24, a significant number of school building projects relating to special schools are currently in progress.

In the interim, projects underway or being planned that are due to deliver additional capacity at special schools in the school year 2023/24 include:

County	Roll number	School name	Number of additional classrooms
Donegal	19592J	St Bernadette’s Special School	2
Galway	20070J	Rosedale School	2
Galway	20328W	St Teresa’s Special School	2
Kildare	20379Q	Stepping Stones Special School	3
Roscommon	19789F	Scoil Mícheal Naofa	2
Sligo	19206B	St Cecelia’s School	1
Sligo	19340F	St Jospeh’s Special School	2
Tipperary	19615S	Scoil Aonghusa	2*
Waterford	19108B	St Martin’s Special School	2
Waterford	19282R	St John’s Special School	2
Cork	20565N	Rochestown Community Special School	Ongoing

To be confirmed.

Information on special schools and the list of mainstream schools with special classes, including new classes for the coming school year 2023/2024, 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 more classes are sanctioned ahead of the 2023/24 school year.

Notes

The department, together with the NCSE, is monitoring the availability of places for students with special educational needs throughout the country as a priority issue and will continue to work with relevant stakeholders.

The department works closely with the NCSE which has responsibility for working with families and schools and for the provision and coordination of an adequate number of specialist educational places to meet local need throughout the country.

The Department of Education and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places. These initiatives are bearing fruit with over 600 new special classes sanctioned at primary level, almost 300 new special classes sanctioned at post-primary level and five new special schools established over the last three years.

There is a total of 2,538 special classes nationwide, 1,799 at primary level and 739 at post-primary level. It is necessary to continue this level of progress to ensure that there are sufficient places in special classes in mainstream schools for children who need them.

Additional new Special Class provision at Post-Primary

If the recent growth in the need for special classes continues, it is expected that the number of new special classes at post-primary that will be required to be provided in the next three years will be double that which has been provided in the last three years.

As demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the next few years, due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates, the department and the NCSE have engaged with post-primary stakeholders in relation to the provision of special classes.

The department wrote to all post-primary schools in October 2022 to advise them of the need to begin planning to provide additional special classes. It is envisaged that all post-primary schools will be required to provide special classes, with an approximate average of 4 special classes in each school.

In addition, the department and the NCSE met with the main post-primary school management bodies in January 2023 to share a list of schools who could potentially open new special classes in September 2023. The NCSE has been engaging directly with those schools to sanction new special classes. The NCSE has sanctioned 92 new special classes at post-primary for the coming school year and it is envisaged that significantly more classes will be sanctioned in the coming weeks to ensure that sufficient places are available.

Additional new Special Class provision at Primary

If the recent growth in the need for special classes continues, it is expected that a similar level of special classes will be needed at primary level over the next three years as have been provided over the last three years.

At local level, the NCSE is continuing to engage with primary schools regarding the establishment of additional special classes for the next school year 2023/2024.

The NCSE has sanctioned 126 new special classes at primary for the coming school year and it is envisaged that significantly more classes will be sanctioned in the coming weeks to ensure that sufficient places are available.

Information on the list of schools with special classes, including new classes for the coming school year 2023/2024, 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 more classes are sanctioned ahead of the 2023/24 school year.

Support for schools

A range of supports are provided to schools opening new special classes or extending special school places.

The department’s Planning and Building Unit provides supports for schools including:

strategic engagement with a school patron in relation to SEN provision at its school sites
Modular Accommodation Framework put in place by the department in early 2021
expansion of existing planning exemptions for provision of additional accommodation at existing school sites
expanded Project Management support to schools for accelerated delivery
a simplified application process for reconfiguration works for SEN

In relation to staffing resources, Primary schools are allocated an additional teacher and 2 additional SNAs for each special class in general. This increases to 1.5 teachers at post-primary.

The NCSE provide a range of supports to schools who open new special classes including:

seminar for Principals
4 day intensive training course for teachers
2 day training course for new teachers
whole staff CPD
the school is linked with an NCSE Advisor

It is not necessary for schools to have accessed all of the training and support in advance of opening a special class as the NCSE will continue to support the staff and the school when the classes are open, building on the experience and expertise of the existing school community.

Primary schools receive the mainstream capitation rate (currently €183 per student) and an enhanced capitation grant of €720 per student enrolled in a special class for ASD giving a total per student of €903.

Post-primary schools receive the mainstream capitation rate (currently €316 per student) and a special class grant of €201 for students that have a mild or moderate general learning disabilities and participating in NCSE approved special classes, giving combined allocation of €517 for each student.

Funding for fit out of classroom:

special class start-up grant: A grant of €6,500 is available to cover the cost of equipment
furniture: A grant of €2,500 is available for standard classroom furniture
specialised furniture/equipment grant: Available for individual students who require specialised furniture/equipment. Applications for specialist furniture/equipment can be emailed to furnitureequipment@education.gov.ie and should include an OT report and one quote
ICT Grant: a grant of €6,700 is available per new primary classroom in an existing building. In the case of Temporary/Additional Accommodation it will be paid directly by the Section providing the Accommodation

Other supports which may be available to support children enrolling in the special class include: