(Ireland) Ed Min refuses to say how many out of 3,000+ SPED students don't have a place
- The end of childhood
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
June 18, 2025, Irish Independent: Minister can’t confirm how many children left without place in special school classes
The number of children awaiting a place in a special class could not be confirmed to the education committee, with the minister saying the figure changes every day.
Minister for Education Helen McEntee said she will provide updated figures to the cabinet in July, which will then be publicly shared.
Ms McEntee was taking questions on the provision of classes for children with additional educational needs before the joint committee on education and youth.
The Fine Gael minister told the committee that in mainstreams schools, by September 2025 there will be over 3,700 special classes supporting over 21,000 children.
This is a doubling of the classes in the last five years, she said.
Around 3,275 children have been identified to the Department of Education as needing a place since earlier this year.
Ms McEntee said that parents seeking a special school placement will be required to notify the National Council For Special Education (NCSE) by October 1, ahead of the school year.
Sinn Fein TD Darren O’Rourke said the minister previously confirmed that 92pc of the 3,275 have received an offer of a school place for this September.
The party’s spokesperson on education and youth asked the minister to confirm the number of children who have not yet received an offer.
Mr O’Rourke said: “So what is the number of children from the 3,275 that were notified to the NCSE that haven’t yet received an offer of a school place?”
Ms McEntee said: “So that is changing every day. There’s work under way at the moment.
“Special schools are somewhat different. There are pathways for every single child. So while they may not have gotten them, there is an enrolment process.”
Pressed to confirm the number that are awaiting a school placement offer, she said: “What I’m saying is 92% have an offer and have a very clear pathway as to where they are going.”
Mr O’Rourke added: “This isn’t a trick question. 3,275 children notified to the NCSE, under the new process that they needed a place for September. How many of those children today don’t have an offer?”
The minister replied: “There’s 92pc of students from primary and post primary that have identified a place or have been given a place.
“What I’m saying then as special schools, it’s a slightly lower number, that’s been worked through at the moment, but it is changing every day.
“The figure that I might give you now is different to what was yesterday. What I’m saying is, even today, there are children being allocated places.
“Today there are enrolment processes that are happening, and the NCSE is working with schools every single day, and that is changing every day. . . .
Mr O’Rourke called for a breakdown of primary school, secondary and special schools in Dublin and outside of Dublin, in terms of the progress that has been made on securing a school place for those 3,275.
Ms McEntee said that 400 new special classes will open in this September coming.
She added: “Myself and Minister (Michael) Moynihan have asked the Department (of Education) and the NCSE (National Council For Special Education) to bring forward all timelines for the 2026 to 2027 school year to ensure that we have better planning and to ensure that parents and children are accepted into new special classes at a much earlier point.
“This will ensure that the majority of new special classes for the next school term are confirmed a number of months ahead of the timeline this year.
“Secondly, a requirement by the NCSE to be notified by October 1 by those parents seeking a special class or special school placement for September next year, bringing the timeline forward by four months compared to this year.
“We intend to post primary level in particular, that large schools will grow to four special classes each. In 2025 we focused on those primary schools with eight classrooms or more and with no special class, and we’ve secured agreement for many of those to open classes for this year.”
Comments