I thank the Deputy. As Minister of State with responsibility for special education, this is an area I am tasked with daily, as are the Department and the NCSE. It is imperative that every child with an additional need have a special class place in all counties. Over the past two to three years, the Department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide special class and special school places. As the Deputy will know, we now have 600 classes sanctioned at primary level and almost 300 new special classes sanctioned at post-primary level, while five new special schools have been established over the past three years. That indicates the progress made.
Forward planning is critical to this, not least in light of the increase in population to which the Deputy referred. To plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and employs a geographical information system, using data from a range of sources, including CSO census, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at both primary and post-primary level.
The Department is engaging intensively with the NCSE in respect of the forward planning. In Louth, 18 new special classes will open for the 2023-24 year, comprising 12 at primary level and six at post-primary level, bringing the total number of special classes in County Louth to 88 and accommodating approximately 528 students. At present, there are 70 special classes, comprising 55 at primary and 15 at post primary, and that will increase by 18 to 88 special classes. Likewise, in Meath, 24 new special classes will open this year, comprising 17 at primary and 7 at post-primary level, bringing the total to 133 classes providing for 798 students.
