'Small' number of special classes will not go ahead due to 'drop off' in expected level of need, Dáil hears
A “small” number of special classes sanctioned for this September will not now proceed, the minister of State for special education has confirmed.The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has advised minister of State Michael Moynihan this is mainly due to a “drop off” in the expected level of need for these classes.It is expected that these classes may be required for the 2026/2027 school year subject to the local level of need, Mr Moynihan said.In response to a parliamentary question put to him by Sinn Féin TD Sorcha Clarke, Mr Moynihan said additional new special classes have been sanctioned.Mr Moynihan also confirmed he has directed a school in Kildare this year to open two special classes under Section 37A of the Education Act 1998.It is the third time these powers have been used by a minister, and for the first time outside Dublin.Mr Moynihan previously told the Irish Examiner that schools would be compelled to open special classes if reluctance to do so continues.Just over 400 new special classes are still being provided for the coming school year, he said in response to Ms Clarke.“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 reach their full potential.” Sorcha Clarke said she knows of at least two schools that were sanctioned to open a special class for September. "It's now the middle of July, parents need to know where their children are going to school in September," she said.
In places where classes have been suppressed, the minister and the NCSE need to be incredibly clear as to why this happened.
A number of families have initiated legal proceedings in a bid to secure appropriate school places for their children for this September.Sinn Féin education spokesman Darren O'Rourke is due to raise issues around the provision of special education places with education minister Helen McEntee in the Dáil before its summer recess. He has previously called on the minister and the NCSE to confirm how many children are without a school place for this September. The Oireachtas education committee previously heard that as many as 260 children could still be without a school place for the new term. An official figure was not provided. Ms McEntee previously told the Dáil that 92% of the students notified to the NCSE had been allocated a school place."Parents and families feel like they are being gaslit in relation to this," Mr O'Rourke said.
We know that last year 126 children were left without school places, and all of the indications at the minute are that there are far in excess of that without a school place currently. We really need to have some transparency and accountability, and more importantly, action to ensure there are places for these children come September.
Meanwhile, Early Childhood Ireland is calling on Government to bring pay for early years and school-age care graduates in line with primary school teachers. The advocacy group has urged for a date to be introduced for when graduates will be brought within public sector pay and conditions. Early Years and school-age care graduates are educated and trained to the same level as their peers in primary education.“Guaranteeing public pay and conditions for early years and school-age care graduates would mark a turning point for the system," said the group's director of policy Frances Byrne. "As things stand, we are losing too many talented educators to sectors offering better pay and greater security.”Figures show that the national average staff turnover rate stands at 25%, rising to 54% in some areas.
