Matt Carthy
Question:291. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education her proposals to provide an ASD unit in secondary schools in the Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16073/24]
View answerTuesday, 16 April 2024
Questions (291)
Written answers
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs.
The Department engages intensely with the NCSE in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. This forward planning work is well underway ahead of the 2024/25 school year. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class places, an analysis of available school accommodation, consideration of improved data sharing arrangements and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary level.
The NCSE and the Department continue to engage on a regular basis in relation to the provision of additional special education placements. This involves regular weekly meetings and ongoing meetings with NCSE regional teams.
The purpose of my department’s Additional Schools' Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area. This situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
In planning and providing for additional school accommodation, the Department must also have regard to construction inflation pressures and competing demands on suppliers of modular accommodation and project management services.
The Ballyjamesduff school planning area consists of only one post primary school, St. Clare's College. This school has an ongoing project which is currently at stage 1 and includes provision for two Special education classrooms to be delivered.
Planning for special classes and special school places in County Cavan and nationwide is currently underway ahead of the 2024/25 school year. The locations of new classes for 2024/25 will be confirmed by the NCSE shortly. The NCSE continues to engage with schools in opening special classes where there is an identified need for special class provision.