Pa Daly
Question:106. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education for an update on resourcing for students with special educational needs in Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17089/25]
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Special Educational Needs
Is mian liom ceist a chur ar an Aire mar gheall ar acmhainní do leanaí i gCiarraí a bhfuil riachtanais speisialta oideachais acu. Mar is eol don Aire, tá uathachas ar 5% de leanaí in Éirinn faoi láthair. The percentage of children with autism has increased threefold in the past decade, with one in every 20 children diagnosed with autism. The education system must adapt to reflect this fact. According to the National Council for Special Education, the number of special education classes in County Kerry will need to increase substantially in order to keep pace.
I thank the Deputy for raising this question. I was in Kerry and visited a number of the special schools there in recent weeks. I visited Nano Nagle Special School in Listowel, St. Francis Special School in Beaufort and St. Ita's and St. Joseph's Primary and Post-Primary Special School in Tralee. These were very insightful visits and showed the tremendous work being done by principals, teachers, SNAs, boards of management and the wider school communities in each area.
Each of the schools demonstrated superb leadership in how they can support and deliver for children with additional needs. There was such a positive supportive environment in each of the schools and I want to put on record my appreciation for the work all of these schools are doing, which was clearly evident on our visit. It also gave me first-hand insight into the many challenges the schools can face, which we hope to address in the coming years.
Various pieces of work are under way to further enhance how we support children with additional educational needs throughout the country, including Kerry. There are four special educational needs organisers operating solely in Kerry while 44 psychologists are providing support to children in primary, post-primary and special schools throughout region 5, which covers counties Cork, Kerry and Clare.
As the Deputy will be aware, significant funding has been provided in successive budgets for a substantial increase of staffing in the NCSE and the National Educational Psychological Service. Both services are critical to students with special educational needs.
In recent years we have been steadily building on our special needs teacher and SNA posts. Budget 2025 provides for an additional 768 special education teachers and 1,600 SNA posts. This will mean that by the end of this year we will have more than 44,000 professionals dedicated to supporting children with special educational needs in our education system. To put this in perspective, there has been an increase of 22% in the number of teachers and a 32% increase in the number of SNAs since 2020.
Today is Karen O'Flaherty's tenth birthday. Karen is autistic and she has dyspraxia and EBD. She and her family moved from Navan to Moyvane in north Kerry during Covid, where she attends Murhur national school. Karen is eligible for place in a special class but at present is in classes with students from other years, including her sister Ellie May. She feels frustrated with the sensory overload. The school and her mother feel her needs would be best served in an ASD unit, a safe place within the school to allow her to receive the best education to which she is entitled. She would not be as burnt out in an ASD unit. Without it, it would be difficult for her to complete primary education but the school has not been sanctioned for one. If an ASD unit were granted, she may also not need the other therapies for which her parents pay €180 per week. Her school has an appropriate building and a vacant classroom. The principal, Finola Fogarty, wishes to establish a special class to cater for children in the area, and four other students, including siblings of current students, would use the unit in September. No other school in north-east Kerry has such a facility. Other schools in Kerry have a special class but the closest one is full. It does not make sense.
It does not make sense that local children have to travel long distances, even outside of the county, for an education that could be provided in a local school. It does not make sense that Karen should have to move schools when the NCSE states the primary objective of special education provision is to enable students with special needs to participate fully and to be included in all aspects of school life and to be provided with equal opportunities to achieve their potential, regardless of their background or abilities.
In February, I submitted a parliamentary question regarding resources for students with mild to moderate learning difficulties accessing level 2 learning programmes, L2LPs, and level 1 learning programmes, L1LPs, in mainstream classes. I received a reply but the real issue was deflected.
The key question here is whether the Department of Education will allocate hours to schools in order to resource the teaching of L2LP or L1LP. At the moment, it is taken out of the pool of SET hours. I will give an example of one student in a school with eight hours per week of one-to-one learning phonics and alternative words. The reality is that L2LP and L1LP programmes need allocation of hours similar to the LCA programme, which is where schools receive half a teacher. The number of students may be low, but they are high in need.
I will revert on this matter.
The Minister of State made a point about school places in Cork and Kerry. We have schools that are looking to put in ASD classes. They are crying out for ASD classes. Scoil Eoin in Ballincollig is looking to put them in, but it cannot. It has no room. It is waiting on a rebuild. It looks like Scoil Barra in Ballincollig will be offered prefabs. It has land it wants to build on to put in ASD classes. We have the Padre Pio school in Churchfield, one of the best schools for integration between mainstream and ASD classes. It has taught special and additional needs children in prefabs for 15 years. These are the most vulnerable children we have, yet here we are with the Minister of State listing out everything the Government is doing. I have a list in Cork of people who are looking for places for their children and they cannot get them.
I thank the Deputies for the questions. I turn first to the issue in north-east Kerry. I have no difficulty in taking the details from the Deputy and following through on the specific issues.
On Deputy Gould's point, the NCSE has been looking at the number of pupils who have come forward. The closing date was in February. We are doing everything humanly possible to make sure there are classes available. I am aware of some of the schools that have put forward names and that would accept classes, but we are trying to match needs with places. I know some of the buildings. We had a Commencement matter in the Seanad today about Scoil Eoin. I am aware of the issues in Scoil Eoin and the building project there as well. We are working extremely hard right across the country. I have seen the evidence of the work that has been done by the NCSE and the Department of Education to make sure there are places available for every child in September.
On the SEN allocation, I will reply to Deputy Conway-Walsh in the next part of my reply.
Regarding Karen O'Flaherty, the Department has said in other cases that it will provide modular accommodation where there is insufficient capacity but a new special class is sanctioned. It does not make sense that Murhur has children entitled to a special class and the board of management is in favour of establishing one. According to NCSE guidelines, in certain circumstances the SENO may sanction a class before there are sufficient students if extra places will be filled as students have been identified. The overriding consideration must be to respond to the needs of the students with special educational needs who, had they not additional needs, would ordinarily attend a school in the local community. The recent circular says that medium and larger schools will be required to open special schools. Murhur is small, but Karen's needs are as valid as those of the children in bigger schools. She is entitled to her full education and is better served in a special class. The school has reached out and I respectfully urge the Minister of State to intervene and deliver what Karen, her family and the community deserve.
As regards the whole of Kerry, 18 special education classes have been sanctioned and there is extra funding, but although they have been sanctioned, there are no additional classes available. That does not equate to delivery.
I will give the Minister of State this document. It sets out what the issue that needs to be addressed is. The student I was talking about receives maths tuition for two hours per week, covering basic units like money, the days in the week and the months in the year. Is there any TD in the Dáil with his or her child at this level of learning in secondary school who would not expect that child to have an allocation of teaching hours separate to the general SET hours? SET hours are allocated to dyslexic students, for example, who can learn but may spell phonetically. Where it looks or sounds like a word, it will be fine but the student is still able to complete the content of the junior cycle and senior cycle schooling.
The reality is that the L2LP and L1LP programmes need allocation of hours similar to the LCA programme where the school receives half a teacher and the number of students may be low, but the need is high in these cases. I want the Minister of State to examine what is happening.
I will respond directly to Deputy Conway-Walsh with the details.
On the issue in north-east Kerry, there have been extra SENOs put into the field since last September. My experience to date is that they have been working extremely well with families and school communities to ensure that the need is being addressed as locally as possible. There was a circular earlier in the year relating to medium-to-large schools. That is because the NCSE and the Department felt it was being left unduly up to the smaller schools to lift the burden with regard to special classes. We want to make sure that every school across the county is making provision for special education. As Deputy Daly rightly pointed out at the start of his question, the need is growing right across the country. Every school will have to make provision. I do not have the details of the school to hand, so it would be wrong of me to discuss it here or make any commitment on it. However, I am willing to take the details from the Deputy and I will report back to him.
Special Educational Needs
Matt Carthy
Question:107. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education the number of students that will be enrolled into the interim special school in County Monaghan in September 2025; if there is capacity at the site of that school to increase enrolment numbers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17182/25]
This time last year, we were told there was no need for a special school in County Monaghan. It took a sustained and dignified campaign by families of children with disabilities, which others and I were proud to support, to lead to the announcement that an interim special school would open in Castleblayney this coming September. Will the Minister of State give an assurance that every child that needs a place in that school will receive one?
I thank the Deputy. The Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to reach their full potential. In the programme for Government, we have a number of commitments in that regard. Dedicated working groups have been established by the Department of Education to work through the details relating to the establishment of the five new special schools for the 2025-26 school year, including the new special school in County Monaghan. In the previous Dáil, I had the honour of chairing the disability committee and many of the groups that appeared before us spoke about the need for a special school in County Monaghan. The Deputy's colleague in the Seanad, Senator Tully, who was Leas-Chathaoirleach of our committee, was to the fore at the committee on that issue.
We are establishing a new special school in County Monaghan under the patronage of Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board. This is a new school to be located in Castleblayney. It is a former school property, which is being repurposed to facilitate the opening of a new school. A principal for the new special school is currently being recruited. This role is critical to the special school's advancement of its enrolment policies and procedures as agreed with the school patron. The school will provide for students with a diagnosis of autism and complex learning needs, or students with complex learning needs with a professional recommendation for a special school. I understand that the school will initially admit 18 students and the application window for admissions closed last week. A number of information events for parents were held jointly by the ETB and the NCSE in recent weeks.
The Deputy asked a specific question. At most of the departmental meetings, we discuss all of the special schools that are being established. The Department is keeping Cavan-Monaghan, and the Monaghan region in particular, under constant review as regards the number of children who will need a special school in the coming year.
I congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment. To give him some background, last January, I organised a public meeting for families and children with disabilities. We were specifically told by the NCSE at that stage that there were no plans for a special school in Monaghan. For months thereafter, we were told there was a process to decide the locations of special schools, yet no one could ever outline what the process involved or any of the criteria that would apply. Finally, in the mouth of a general election, an announcement was made. It is clear that the process and the criteria came down to political pressure.
The Minister of State has stated that the special school will initially admit 18 students. Can he clarify how many applications were received on the deadline last week? It is critically important the Minister of State gives us an assurance now that families will not have to start campaigning again before the new school is even open to ensure sufficient capacity at that school.
First, I wish to reassure the Deputy that the Department and the design team within it, the NCSE and the local ETB will continue to review the accommodation options available to allow the special school to grow and expand. While it is initially for 18 students in the coming year, we want to ensure we have available space to meet the growing need that we anticipate within the Monaghan community over the next number of years. I do not have to hand the exact number of students who had applied by 31 March but I will get that information for the Deputy and pass it on to him.
I am reassured by the Department and the NCSE that they are reviewing. There is a lot of work going on in the context of the five special schools we are opening throughout the country. Each one of them has a working group to ensure it is opening with the necessary facilities not just for this year but for future years as well.
As the Minister of State is aware, parents slept outside the gates of Leinster House last week demanding the most basic of human rights, that is, a school place for their child. I met them. I do not know whether the Minister of State got the opportunity to do so but if he did, he would have heard horror stories of children being left behind by the Government and a failed system. I was particularly disturbed to hear from areas where interim schools were established many years ago on the promise of a permanent school that has yet to come, resulting in inadequate capacity in sometimes unsuitable premises. That will not be tolerated in Monaghan, just as it should not be tolerated or accepted anywhere. The fight to deliver this school went on for far too long already.
There will be 18 places in September, which I acknowledge is 18 more than last year. That is very welcome. We need the plans for the permanent school to start right now, however. We need the Minister of State to promise – and I have to say this again - that every child who needs a place in the special school in Monaghan will actually get one. I urge the Minister of State to bring himself to a position where he can make that promise as soon as possible.
I met a number of the parents who were here last week. I know only full well the battle that all the families and parents are going through, not just from being a public representative but also from personal experience as well. I am fully aware of the challenges parents face daily with regard to special needs, particularly the battles around the country for special schools. I refer to a number of policies that were being spearheaded by the UN decades ago in relation to mainstreaming. There are children with acute needs who will need special schools. We need to ensure those places are developed, not just on temporary sites, but rather that they are available and developed on permanent sites that are in the centre of their communities. We need to make sure that children with special educational needs, whether they are in Castleblayney or any other part of the country, are in a central location and that we have proper facilities for them.
I will give a commitment that I will work as hard as is humanely possible for as long as I hold this role to make sure we have places available for children. In this instance, we will have 18 spaces available, but we will work over the next while to make sure there are more spaces throughout the country.
Schools Building Projects
Grace Boland
Question:108. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education the way she plans to support the school building unit in how it delivers school buildings in a timely manner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16806/25]
The Minister might tell us what the plan is to support the school building unit to deliver school buildings and extensions to school buildings in an efficient and timely manner. In my constituency of Dublin Fingal West, there are numerous projects that are taking an extraordinarily long time. Some cases are taking decades. It is essential the Department works collaboratively with principals to deliver our school buildings and extensions quickly, efficiently and as soon as possible to meet the growing demands.
I thank Deputy Boland for raising this question. I acknowledge that she has prioritised this with me and wants to ensure that every child, parent and teacher in her constituency has the resources, supports and indeed the appropriate school buildings he or she requires in the years ahead. I am absolutely committed to working with her and all of the schools in that regard.
My role in this Department, working with the building unit, is to make sure it has the resources it needs and that it then supports and works with principals and design teams to ensure projects can be progressed in a timely manner. We have a strong track record of delivery. Since 2020, more than €5.8 billion has been invested in our schools throughout the country, which has involved the completion of more than 1,300 school building projects in a record investment. In Dublin alone, €1.3 billion has been spent in that time.
In order to ensure a timely roll-out of these projects, a number of things have been done. We have increased the support and the staff in the buildings unit. There currently is a staff of 240 with ongoing recruitment in that regard. A comprehensive suite of design guidance has been put in place for the delivery of school building projects, including standardised designs and room layouts with a strong emphasis on streamlining arrangements to support delivery. There is a particular circular with regard to repurposing additional accommodation, which has been particularly helpful to help with the opening of new special classes. There is a strong emphasis on procurement frameworks for design teams. There are new building officers and projects managers specifically to support schools and to make sure there is a focus on delivery, particularly for the more complex projects. We are working as well to make sure we have IT solutions to help support the roll-out of solar PV panel programmes, which are also part and parcel of much of the work taking place.
I acknowledge that some of the programmes and projects do not move as quickly as we would like. There often are reasons for that. Sometimes we have to manage the budget we have with the projects that are coming through. I assure the Deputy that we will work with all schools to make sure that as many of them can be progressed at the same time in a timely manner. We are working and constantly engaging with schools in order that this can be communicated.
I thank the Minister. I acknowledge that there has been a lot of investment in school buildings. However, my constituency of Dublin Fingal West is one of the youngest constituencies in the country. Balbriggan is the youngest large town in the country. We are rapidly growing. The towns of Rush and Lusk were tiny villages when I was a child but are now full of young and growing families. We are not delivering schools quickly enough. In Rush in particular, three schools have been waiting for decades. We need to see faster delivery.
Since I have been elected, I have been on a tour of the constituency to meet all the schools, to understand their challenges and to see the conditions they are working in. Some are working in appalling conditions. They have been delivered extensions of prefabs, which are uninsulated and falling apart. Kids are wearing coats in the classroom and there is damp, mould, unsuitable toilet facilities, etc. We need to make sure the Department is engaging, delivering and working with our principals who are doing their very best. They are not project managers, however.
I raise the issue of Scoil Bhríde, Sheelagh. It relates to an application it made at the end of 2023 for additional school accommodation, which was submitted to the planning and building unit. This was put in mothballs. It was sanctioned for two ASD classes and is afraid it will not be able to deliver on the second class. There seems to be a communication issue with the Department as a whole. It is also worried about the provision of classroom space for the current enrolment of pupils. There is a need for direct communication with this particular school. While I have tabled a parliamentary question on this matter, there is no chance that we will reach it this evening. I would be really appreciative if the Minister could look at this issue.
The Minister spoke about school completions, the number of people working on them and the work that is being done.
My eldest daughter will be 19 in less than two weeks. She attended Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers when she was five. I was on the board of management. A new school is going to be built, probably in two or three years. It has been sanctioned and is going through design. Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers has been looking for a school building for 40 years, since 1985. It is unbelievable how slow this country is to deliver projects. The conditions in the school are very bad. It was formerly located above Na Piarsaigh GAA club. Only for them, they would not have a school at all. The school then moved to a business park and then to another school. They were like nomads.
The Convent Primary School in Mallow is looking for an extension and we are told there is a study going on. The Patrician Academy in Mallow has 43 children and is on a waiting list for a secondary school. There was a new school built eight years ago. It is unbelievable.
If the Deputies want to send on individual projects, I can follow up to see at what stages they are. It is important to stress that there is record investment going into school buildings. We have 3,000 primary schools and 700 post-primary schools. The priority and focus always has to be to make sure, where additional accommodation is required, that we do this first, if an extension is required. I fully accept that some schools are decades old and need to be refurbished but we need to make sure that the steady pipeline is being worked through and it is being done as quickly as possible.
This year alone, we have more than 300 projects, which are costing €1.5 billion, so these are not small projects. These are new schools, extensions and refurbishments. Much of the funding is being invested in making sure that the school places we have been discussing, in particular the special school places, can be provided and rolled out. I commit that the Department will work with principals and teachers to make sure that as many projects as possible can be rolled out. My role is to make sure we get as much money in the budget as possible. The more I can get this year and the more I can get in the national development plan review, the more we can invest in our schools' infrastructure.
I thank the Minister. Schools are an investment in our future. We need to move away from patching up prefabs that have been there for ten, 20 or 30 years when they were only intended to be used for a few years. We need to invest in our schools and invest in the future and in our children and teachers, by providing good, accessible, reasonable school accommodation. I would like to see a specific time limit introduced for the Department to respond to principals. A common theme in representations I get from principals is that they are not being responded to in a timely manner. I do not just mean it being a case of weeks or months; in some cases, it can be years. It would be good to see the Department bring forward a specific timeframe in which it will respond to principals and they will no longer be ghosted. I invite the Minister to Rush in Dublin Fingal West to see some of these fantastic schools like St. Joseph's Secondary School and Rush National School. The staff are working in really appalling conditions but still doing a fantastic job.
I would be happy to see some of these schools with the Deputy. She touched on the importance of not forgetting that the more we invest in schools now, the less they will need later on. New summer works and a climate programme have been announced and will be rolled out. It is important to make sure we are investing in changes to the buildings themselves that will provide efficiencies but that will also make sure that the maintenance is kept up. I hope to be able to announce the minor works grant scheme as well. This will provide that small amount of funding that actually saves in the long run. The PV grants and other areas that I have mentioned are not about just investing in the infrastructure but they provide cost savings on energy bills as well.
To the Deputy's original point, the objective of the Department and my role and that of the Deputy is to make sure that students are supported to fulfil their potential. This means them having the resources they need, including teachers, SNAs, and special education teachers. Students have to be educated in a setting that is conducive to that and this is why I am committed to securing more money in the budget so that we can develop more projects. I take the Deputy's point on timely engagement with principals. This might be something I could speak directly to her about how it is working at the moment and how we can improve it.
Schools Building Projects
Maeve O'Connell
Question:109. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Education to report on the progress of the capital build project of a school (details supplied). [17155/25]
I ask the Minister for an update on the progress on the capital build project for St. Brigids Girls School, Cabinteely. I recently met the school principal. After a conversation with her about their building project, I followed up with the Department. Following this, the school received a very positive update from the Department. I would like to get the latest update. This is a significant project for the school, which has been working on it for a number of years. It is very important to the school and the school community's future.
I look forward to working with the Deputy on this project and many others. As she knows, the Department approved the additional school accommodation project for St. Brigids School Cabinteely. The project is devolved for delivery to the school authority and a design team has been appointed to progress the project through the necessary architectural stages of design, statutory approvals, procurement and construction. The project was initially approved to provide ten mainstream classrooms and three special education tuition rooms along with ancillary accommodation. In October 2024, my Department increased the brief of the project to include the provision for a three-classroom special education needs base.
The Department is awaiting the submission of a revised stage 1 report to include the SEN provision. Once received, this report will be reviewed, from both a technical and cost perspective in accordance with the Government's infrastructure guidelines. All projects, including this one, undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the guidelines. The design team was initially appointed for this project in 2020. There has been a lot of back and forth on this. It has now changed again. Thankfully, additional classrooms are being provided for children with special educational needs. If we can move on to the next stage and the stage 1 report is presented to the Department, we will then be able to move on more quickly to the next stage. I cannot give a specific timeline beyond that, but once we receive the report, the Department will be able to move forward. There are a number of projects that from everybody's perspective, we want to see progressing as quickly as possible, particularly where additional accommodation is being provided to meet a specific need around special education. My Department is committed to this project and once that information is provided, we will be able to progress it further.
Can I come in?
An Teachta O'Connell, please.
I thank the Minister for her comprehensive reply. I can tell from it that it is quite a complex project. It started and then it had to be amended, and we are now at the redesign stage. The school authorities informed me that they have the design sketched out and they will be able to follow up with that. I appreciate that the Department is dealing with a significant number of projects. Some 1,300 school building projects have been completed, as the Minister said, since 2020. One of those included Gaelscoil Laighean. I recall that we were looking for a location in June 2022 and the school opened in September 2023, so a lot of projects are being expedited very quickly. This is another school I have been talking to recently about issues.
One of the issues that comes up as a theme in my discussions with all schools - because I am trying to visit as many schools in my constituency as I can - is that of waiting for updates from the Department on these complex projects. I ask the Minister to consider working with her officials to come up with some mechanism to increase the level of transparency around project development. Sometimes schools can be waiting months or even years. It would be very helpful for the schools if there were some sort of ongoing communication format.
An Teachta Timmins can come in now briefly.
Will the Minister give an update on three secondary schools in west Wicklow: Blessington Community College; Scoil Chonglais, Baltinglass, and St. Kevin's Communtity College, Dunlavin? These are all awaiting building projects to commence. With a growing population in west Wicklow and further development planned in the area, these projects require urgent attention. These are the only secondary schools in west Wicklow and they are crying out for extra spaces. The projects are not moving along. The commencement date for Blessington has been delayed three times.
There are often different reasons projects are delayed. It is not always the fault of the Department but there are often design, planning or funding issues. It is important to make sure that funding is managed throughout the year. There are only so many projects that can be progressed at a certain time. The focus and priority is always where additional accommodation is needed. More than 100,000 places have brought onstream over the past number of years alone where extensions or refurbishment were needed, in particular where school buildings had fallen into disrepair.
That is the priority and must be the focus but, in addition, there are always other projects being developed, such as schools moving out from an existing school building into a new build. We acknowledge ,that over decades, there is a normal amount of wear and tear and we must make sure children are being educated in the best possible setting.
I will come back directly to Deputy Timmins on the schools he mentions, as I do not have an update here with me. I acknowledge that Deputy O'Connell has been hugely supportive of the schools in her area. I look forward to working with her on making sure these projects can progress as quickly as possible.
In terms of the Department-----
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire.
-----it sets out timelines for the different stages and how long they should take.
Tá an t-am caite.
We could look at putting a system in place on the engagement that would then take place with schools when they go beyond the timeline.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Will the Minister please conclude? Tá an t-am caite.
This is a commonly occurring theme. I am sorry.
I thank the Minister for acknowledging the issue about the transparency and the communication pieces between the Department and the schools. School principals are very busy and it is beyond the job description to also be a building project manager.
I draw another issue to the Minister's attention. As we are engaging on building projects, one of the issues that is coming up is the lack of play space in that some of it is being taken over while a new extension or new area is being built. Will the Minister look at building projects to ensure an alternative play space is provided if the existing play space is being taken away?
Insofar as possible, where there are new builds or where schools have to be moved, the Department always attempts to keep some of the play space and to make sure it is not completely taken. The Department also ensures play areas are part and parcel of the development of new builds, be it PE halls inside the school or covered areas for children to be able to use in bad weather or if they do not have outdoor space. It is always a priority to make sure a play space is provided when new schools are developed or when schools are being moved or that such space can be accommodated or provided in another setting. It is not always possible or straightforward but it is something the Department prioritises.
This also comes back to Deputy Boland's question on what in particular is being done to try to support schools and principals. Work has been done in that regard. There are officers and project managers who directly support principals and schools. Again, maybe it is a matter of looking at how that is working and how we can somehow improve it.
Could I make a point of order?
Could I clarify whether any Deputy can just jump in on anyone's question? Does that mean people like me who have listed a question and waited all night to ask it might not be heard tonight? Is that the case?
That is a fair point. Deputy Coppinger came to me and asked me. I allowed people in but they have taken too much latitude. If anybody wants to ask a supplementary question, he or she is going to have to confine it to 30 seconds at the most. I understand that is the fair procedure. I understand Deputy Coppinger's situation.
I listed five questions and I got only one of them in. I ask that people would please stop jumping in on them.
I was less than 30 seconds.
We cannot have a debate on it.
State Examinations
John Connolly
Question:110. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education if she is satisfied that sufficient efforts are being made to ensure teachers, schools and pupils are adequately prepared for the introduction of the new leaving certificate cycle in the next academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17201/25]
Cuirim ceist ar an Aire faoin obair atá ar siúl sa Roinn faoi láthair chun múinteoirí, scoileanna agus daltaí a shásamh go bhfuil an t-ullmhúchán ceart déanta acu don ardteist nua i mí Mheán Fómhair seo chugainn.
I ask the Minister about the efforts under way in the Department to make sure schools, teachers and pupils are adequately prepared for the introduction of the first tranche of the new leaving certificate or senior cycle syllabus for this September.
I thank the Deputy for raising this question. Reform of the leaving certificate senior cycle is the right thing to do. This is something that will benefit students. Nobody I have spoken to, including those who have concerns or who requested that this be delayed, has said we should not progress this, because everybody acknowledges it is the right thing to do. That is why I am committed to ensuring this is delivered and that we start this process next September. There is considerable momentum in the programme of work that is under way, which is primarily focused on preparing for the upcoming school year. When we look at what is happening, thousands of the 73,000 students who will be entering fifth year in September have already made their subject decisions. They have already based them on the fact there will be a new curriculum.
The leaving cert has served students well but this is about making sure we support students and reduce the amount of pressure they are under. Currently, the focus is on one exam at the end that can often go wrong for students. We need to take away that significant pressure and make sure there is an additional focus on critical and creative thinking and other types of skills. Leaving cert reform is central to how we do this.
In terms of what we have done and what I am doing, I am working with schools, teachers and students. The specifications or curriculum for the nine new and revised subjects in tranche 1 were published in September 2024. Their introduction to schools is being supported by a comprehensive package of support. Training has already been taken up by 26,000 teachers. A total of €12 million in funding has been provided to schools to support the introduction of new science subjects. I hope to be able to support them even further. Tomorrow, the State Examinations Commission will publish sample examination papers for each of the new tranche 1 subjects. There are 72 in total, two for each subject at higher and ordinary level. Following the publication, a series of webinars will take place for teachers, focused on these papers. Sample additional assessment component briefs will be provided by the State Examinations Commission at the start of the next school year.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire.
There is much more in train, which I will outline. A significant amount of work is already under way in that regard.
Aontaím leis an Aire go bhfuil chuile dhuine den tuairim go bhfuil gá le hathchóiriú ar chóras na hardteistiméireachta. I agree there is universal acceptance among all parties and partners in education of the need to reform the leaving certificate and introduce a new senior cycle, in particular one that, as the Minister says, would assess skills development and develop critical thinking rather than just content knowledge. We all welcome that, but there is no doubt there is still some concern among teachers in particular, but not solely among them, as there is also concern among parents and pupils about the accelerated implementation.
I very much welcome the information from the Minister tonight that the sample examination papers are to be published tomorrow, because that will help to ease some of the concern. Concerns remain that 40% of the overall grade will be for additional assessment components. Teachers are still worried about how the work will be authenticated as being sincere and genuine.
I have a later question that should have been grouped with this question. Will the Minister address the issue of artificial intelligence as a concern among those in the education sector?
This is not accelerated. This is something that was committed to ten years ago and it has taken until now to get to the point where it is going to start in September. Given the momentum I have mentioned, it is important we make sure it starts but that we support teachers, unions and students in making sure it happens in the best way possible and that students benefit from it.
A number of things have been done such as training, money for science labs, the State Examinations Commission publishing the sample papers tomorrow, the additional assessment components briefs that will be provided at the beginning of the school year, and guidelines to support completion of the additional assessment components.
Tranche 1 was published last December, having been developed with the SEC. The process involved teacher focus groups. There has been provision to schools with instructions around the use of AI in course work since 2023, but in addition and separately, my Department is working with the State Examinations Commission to develop high-level guidance on the use of AI in teaching and learning. It is anticipated that this will be published shortly. Everybody acknowledges AI is here to stay. It is not about preventing students from using it but to make sure that insofar as possible-----
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire.
-----they use it in the most appropriate way, and that they learn as well when they are using it.
I echo the point of my colleagues across the floor. Some 82% of teachers surveyed feel they require some guidance on AI in regard to the new leaving certificate and authenticating the work that will be produced as part of the additional assessment component.
I am glad to hear the Minister tell us tonight that thousands of students have selected their subjects, because some parents have advised me their child is concerned about picking some of the tranche 1 subjects because of a lack of clarity on or awareness of the assessment process. The publication of the sample examination papers will help. I also welcome the money for science labs because another concern that has been expressed to me by an informed source is about the difference in the resources available to schools. Some schools might have more modern science labs, and more modern schools might also have more science labs than older schools, which would be of assistance to the pupils of those schools in completing the additional assessment components.
I very much welcome that but I have some concern about the implementation of new labs.
I am absolutely committed to working with teachers and their unions to ensure we get this right. Today, following weeks of engagement with all the unions, I invited the ASTI and the TUI to engage intensively to see what more I can do to support them. Everything I outlined here, from the training and funding that is being provided, the papers that have been outlined, the further training that will be provided, the guidance that will be given around AI and what I am doing now in engaging with them further, I hope extensively, to see what else I can do, is to make sure this can be rolled out and that students will benefit from it. Thousands of students, as I mentioned, have taken up their subjects and thousands of teachers are preparing for this. I know from talking to students that they want this. They feel it will benefit them because the focus will not just be on one or two exams at the end of the year. This will assess other skills they have and make sure that is done throughout the year so that there is not just a focus on the end of the year. I am absolutely committed to working with the unions, teachers and students to make sure this can be rolled out and that everyone can benefit from it.
Disability Services
Jen Cummins
Question:111. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education her plans to ensure there are multi-disciplinary teams in all schools, including the recruitment and retention of therapists. [14637/25]
I congratulate the Minister on her post. I have not yet had an opportunity to say that to her across the floor.
What are her Department's plans to ensure all students, especially children with additional needs, have access to in-school supports such as occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and psychological services? What is the plan to roll them out, for recruitment and resourcing schools throughout the country?
I thank the Deputy. While the provision of clinical therapy supports to children is the responsibility of the HSE, it is the Government’s ambition to make sure therapies are provided in schools. This was committed to in the programme for Government and it is to build on the work being done through the Department of Education, with a number of teams already in place within our schools through the education therapy support service, ETSS, working in conjunction with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. At the moment, 39 therapists are working in schools to build the capacity of teachers and other school staff, as well as working with students and children. The ambition now is to make sure we can roll out a programme across the board, starting with special schools but the ambition is very much to move to special education classrooms as well. This will be done through the NCSE. It will be the employer and, most important, children will receive direct therapies and supports in schools, including from occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, and a whole community response will be taken. It will not just be direct supports for young children. Teachers will be provided with the training, resources and supports they need, parents will be included in this and there will be a whole-of-school approach.
Work has started on this. We have held a number of Cabinet committees where the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, and I have met and engaged with the Departments of children, disability and health as well as the Department of further and higher education to make sure we are able to provide the therapists while at the same time complementing the work of the child and disability network teams, CDNTs, and the other therapists in the system providing support to everyone else. We need to increase the places. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, is working closely with the Minister for Health to make sure we can double the number of therapist places in our universities. That is a clear commitment we gave in the programme for Government. The work is under way to make sure we have that steady flow and capacity within the therapy professions overall. This is an absolute priority for the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, me, the Department and the Government.
It is great that it will be rolled out. I am anxious to know exactly how far along the implementation of those places is, particularly at third level, for the autumn intake under the Central Admissions Office, CAO. I note from the programme for Government that a plan was set out to double the number of college places for speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and educational psychologists. How far along is that?
With regard to expediting qualification routes for professionals who have relevant experience and skills, how will that work? Many people are working in the education system and broadly around it and I am wondering how that will work. I am interested to see how far along those plans are.
Over recent weeks, the Minister has been meeting many parents, like every TD in the Dáil, about the lack of special education school places. She is trying to rectify that, but with that come all the other supports that need to happen.
There is absolute logic for school-based therapies. That is where the need is. It is about providing the service and assessment where the need is. I am aware the Minister has had engagement with the parents of Senan Maguire. That child is out of school at the moment. We need to ensure there is a solution for primary school-----
Go raibh maith agat.
------and also a solution for secondary school.
I will also bring up the issue of Tallanstown National School, which is facing the fact-----
Very briefly, the school could be dealing with one class that might have 37 children, including one with Down's syndrome, next year because it will lose-----
I would like to jump in. I would like to register that people from big parties who have loads of opportunities to ask questions have been jumping in all night on these questions, meaning that people from the smaller groups get pushed down even further. It is a little inconsiderate of those parties, including Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and all of them, when there are so many questions on the agenda.
The Deputy has made her point. I thank her.
My question will not be taken now because of that.
I am sorry it will not be reached. I only came in halfway through.
While I cannot give the Deputy a timeline for the doubling of places, I know it is being worked on directly by the Ministers, Deputies Lawless and Carroll MacNeill. The more quickly it can happen, the more quickly we can fill our places overall.
The change on qualifications is work that has just started, so the focus and priority have been on outlining what the therapy service will look like and how we can progress it as soon as possible. The Deputy is correct that we can provide school places for young people, but we need to make sure that when they get into school, they get access to the right supports and education. That should include therapies and they should get direct support in the schools as well as in their communities. This is about complementing the work being done outside the school as well.
Deputy Ó Murchú raised Senan. I have spoken to David and Tina. The Deputy is correct that the number one priority is making sure that Senan has a school place immediately and then making sure he has access to the right school place, supports and therapies he needs. I will do absolutely everything possible to make sure that is the case.
I thank the Minister. Going further than that, it is great to see there will be a roll-out of these services and supports to young people and children in special schools. From looking at it, what we would like to see from an education perspective is that young people who need a service in mainstream schools will be able to access it. There are children throughout the country who need that support. School is a fantastic place to have that support and I would like speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and other psychological services to be available in all our schools. We will be a fully functioning society when we have that available to all the students in our schools, at primary and secondary levels and in special education schools, like in other countries that have high functioning education systems and social, emotional and psychological supports for students.
This is about building capacity and the thing that has come to me most in recent weeks, when engaging with parents and children about what they want, is that they want the place that is most appropriate for them, although that can be different for every young person and student. It might be a special school, a special classroom in a mainstream school or a mainstream place with additional supports. In rolling out the therapies, while we have given a commitment to starting with special schools because that is where the need is most acute, my priority and that of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is to make sure that it is not just in special schools but is extended to children who are in special education classrooms. If we can make progress and build capacity, we will have supports available to every child who needs them. That is about making sure the structure works, that we get it up and running as quickly as possible and that it complements a lot of the positive work that is happening. We all acknowledge we can do more and that we can do better, and that is what we are trying to achieve here. There is an absolute commitment by the Government to making sure we provide these therapies in our schools and that those who need them most get them.
School Transport
Aindrias Moynihan
Question:112. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education the number of pilot schemes run under the revised school transport scheme for 2025-26; the current stage of each pilot run under the revised scheme; when the revised school transport scheme for 2025-26 will be ready; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17170/25]
Every day, under the school transport scheme, thousands of students are taken to and from school. It is an invaluable service for many thousands of families.
The service relies on rigid rules that, unfortunately, do not recognise, for example, that students may not be attending the immediately adjacent school or are perhaps going to schools their families had associations with over many years. Regarding the pilot review, will the Minister give an overview of where those pilots are now? Is the Minister ready to advance a new scheme?
I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. The school transport 2030 report, which was published in early 2024, marks the largest review of the school transport scheme since it was established in 1967. We are committed to working to achieve the report’s recommendations of expanding access to the scheme in order that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030 and to continue to improve the scheme in order that it provides a valuable service for those families who rely on it while providing value for money to the Exchequer. The recommended changes to the future operation of the scheme include expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges and moving towards better integration with public transport. A phased implementation of the review’s recommendations, which is how we have to progress it, began at the start of the current school year.
As indicated at the time of the launch of the review, a number of pilots were to be trialled in 2024-2025, as the Deputy mentioned, in conjunction with the Department of Transport and Bus Éireann. As also indicated at that time, it was intended that, following closure of the application process for the 2024-2025 school year, consideration would be given to further potential pilots. A total of 14 pilot projects are under way this school year. These pilots are being evaluated and, once we get the information, they will provide valuable insights into the impact of increased demand on the scheme, the potential for integrating public transport with school transport services, and opportunities to promote more sustainable modes of transport. The findings from the evaluation will guide the planning and implementation needed for a national roll-out of a revised school transport scheme. Planning is under way already for the 2025-2026 school year and further information will be available shortly.
The pilots are still under way and we still need to get the feedback from them, but it is extremely important we look at as many ways as possible in which we can provide school transport. If a bus route is already available and has space to accommodate young schoolchildren, then that is what we need to look at. We must also look at expanding the criteria and what other types of routes we might be able to provide. This is what the Department is looking at now. Obviously, we must have the resources to roll this out in the year ahead.
I thank the Minister. Will she outline if all the planned pilot schemes got under way? I understand there are 14 of them, but did all the pilot schemes that were planned get under way? The transport scheme is currently open for applications and parents will be making applications for students in the weeks to come. Often, families are waiting right up to the last minute in September to find out if they will have a service. Time is getting very tight now. Will there be enough time over the summer to have an extensive scheme introduced for September or will there be a need to prioritise certain aspects? If there is going to be prioritisation, what changes is the Minister aiming to prioritise for next September and September of the following year? Will she give an overview in this regard, please?
I add my voice to Deputy Moynihan's. Every year, I dread this time when the school portal opens because we live in a Bermuda Triangle-type area between places called Watergrasshill, Carrignavar, Glenville and Whitechurch. There are always issues with proximity to secondary schools. I understand there were 14 pilots last year. Will the Minister elaborate on the nature of some of those pilots, if we are likely to see an expansion of those 14 pilots and what kind of criteria will be prioritised specifically to give schools like those I spoke of a chance to be included?
I thank both Deputies. I acknowledge this is very stressful for many parents, families and children. It is an issue we are all dealing with. I am dealing with it in my constituency as well. I refer to where there is no particular bus route in place or where parents are looking to see how the criteria might change and how soon we can implement it. While I cannot give the Deputies all those details now, I can say all the pilots have progressed. We hope to get a review of how they have worked and are working as soon as possible, which will then feed into any possible changes that may take place this year. Again, that must be subject to resource availability. All this must be taken in the round. It is important to say and stress that 172,500 children are already getting transport to school every day in 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes. The daily trips cover 100 million km. A huge level of investment, therefore, is already going into our school transport.
We are now trying to see how we can progress this even further and include even more children and ensure we add additional routes, as well as exploring where we can sync up with other existing routes. This is part of what the pilot process is doing now. The Deputies are right. The applications are open now. The closing date for new applications is Friday, 25 April, so I encourage parents, families and students to ensure they get their applications in before the deadline. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, the Department and I will be working with families and students to ensure that, insofar as possible, we start the expansion to be able to reach the 100,000 extra students over the coming years. It is something that will obviously have to be done on a phased basis.
Focusing on the specific point again, what kinds of changes are being prioritised for each year? It is reasonable that not everything would be done in one go and the process would be phased in. What kind of changes are being proposed for phase 1 and each of the subsequent phases? Will the Minister give an outline in this regard? In communities where people are making applications now, in fast-growing communities such as in Cloughduv, for example, a large number of applicants will want to go to secondary school in Ballincollig and not necessarily to Coachford, where Bus Éireann's current scheme would be sending them, or perhaps to Bandon. Can those communities reasonably expect a new scheme to be in place for their students in September? The time is very tight. Will the Minister set out a list of the priorities to be able to do that? I refer to trying to get an understanding of what those priorities are.
What I can say is we are working on things now. While I cannot set out now whether there will be changes or what possible changes might take place this year, I can say the pilots are under way and we are evaluating them. We are also looking at other potential measures that might be applied for this coming year. This must depend on the resources available. There is a very clear commitment in the programme for Government and a very clear report setting out that we need 100,000 new additional spaces. We are absolutely committed to providing them, but it will have to be done on a phased basis. This is what we are working on now. The Minister of State and I hope to be in a position to be able to outline and set out that undertaking as soon as possible. I really do understand and appreciate the difficulties. I know many parents in my area of my constituency who for many years have been looking to get a new bus route. It has not fitted into the criteria that have existed to date. I know, therefore, there are many children looking to see how progress can be made and how quickly we can make it. We are working on this endeavour.
Special Educational Needs
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:113. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education the steps taken in Cork county and city to ensure all children who require a place have the possibility of securing a place in a special class or special school for the next academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17159/25]
This question is to ask the Minister the steps taken in Cork county and city to ensure all children who require a place have the possibility of securing a place in a special class or a special school for the next academic year. We have this problem every year with mainstream school places across the suburban area of Cork, but we have a particular pinch point this year with special school places. This is not something we envisaged two and a half years ago when we had the previous crisis and Carrigaline special school was opened, but we seem to be back here again at square one.
I thank the Deputy for the question. I also thank him for the work he does in this sector and the support he has given me since I took up this role. I greatly appreciate it. The majority of children with special educational needs are supported by mainstream classroom teachers, special education teachers and SNAs to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children have more complex needs, a special class or special school place needs to be provided.
There are 2,700 new places being created and there are more than 1,200 places already in existing special classes and schools. There are close to 4,000 places available for the coming school year. There is a significant level of provision. The Department and NCSE have created the significant capacity for children whose parents and schools have identified to them as requiring a place. The NCSE has sanctioned more than 390 special classes to date and is working on actively engaging with other schools and school patron bodies to confirm additional special classes as soon as possible.
Of these, 53 are in Cork, 35 at primary level and 18 at post-primary level. This will add to the 563 special classes currently in operation in County Cork. The NCSE advises that there are vacant places in a number of special classes across County Cork as well that are available to students for the forthcoming school year.
Of the 16 special schools with approximately 1,060 students enrolled, three were established in the past five years. One of the new special schools for next September will be located in the north of Cork city. It is expected this school will open for enrolment shortly. It will initially enrol 24 students. The site of the school, as the Deputy will be well aware, is at the former primary school at Carrignavar but due to building works, the school will open temporarily in available school accommodation in Fermoy, which means that the school can open on 1 September.
My Department is working with school patron bodies, particularly Cork ETB, to expand capacity at other schools, particularly those that opened in recent years, namely, Rochestown Community Special School and East Cork Community Special School.
Tá an t-am caite, a Aire Stáit.
This will offer over 70 additional special school places in addition to the new capacity created in the new special school in north Cork.
I am sorry to say that the time for questions is imithe.
That is ridiculous. I drove three hours up the road to listen and so I could come in on this.
Can we have a few seconds?
No, the time has elapsed for the questions. We are on to Topical Issues. I am sorry. I hope Deputy O'Sullivan got his answer.
If he did, I did not hear it. There are 97 children in Cork with no place for September-----
Sorry Deputy Gould, we are finished. Please.
Carrignavar is only over the road. Irish Water has not been able to get a drop of water out there since-----
Deputy, please.
That is not me saying it; that is the EPA saying it. There is no way that school is going to be open.
Ciúnas. Tá an t-am caite.
The Minister of State is coming in here telling people a school will be open but it will not be.
Deputy Gould, please. We are not going to have a debate across the floor.
In fairness, if the Deputy had listened to what I said, he would know that is not what I said.
Okay, go raibh maith agat.
We are deadly serious about making sure there are special places and special schools open in Cork-----
There are ten houses built in Carrignavar that cannot be connected to the water-----
Deputy, please. You are not listening. We are going to have Topical Issues.
-----and you are talking about opening a school.
Deputy, tá an t-am caite. We are moving on to Topical Issues.
Is féidir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scríofa ar www.oireachtas.ie.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.