Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 March 2025
680. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education if the National Council for Special Education runs a communications campaign; if so, the communication channels used to inform parents that they should contact the council to secure a school place for children with additional needs in a special class or special school; the budgetary allocation for such communication; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11808/25]
View answer681. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education if the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has any engagement with third parties, such as pre-schools, public nurses, the HSE, assessment of need providers, primary care centres, community centres and resource and family centres, to inform parents that they should contact the NCSE to secure a school place for children with additional needs. [11809/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 680 and 681 together.
This government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs.
In the Department of Education Circular, www.gov.ie/en/circular/f16ca-new-measures-to-support-the-forward-planning-for-special-education-provision/, it is indicated that parents seeking a special class or special school placement for their child for the coming academic year 2025/26 make contact with the NCSE.
The NCSE have set up a dedicated email address to be used by parents looking to contact us about special class/school placement. parentsnotify@ncse.ie is the dedicated NCSE email address you can use to make initial contact with them.
The NCSE advise my Department that they had significant engagement with special education advocacy groups, local Children's Disability Network Teams under the HSE and schools to ensure that parents were aware of the new requirement to notify them of a child's need for a special class or special school place. The NCSE at local level continue to update parents on new special classes and additional special school provision as it becomes available.
The NCSE is also progressing work on a new data sharing agreement with the Early Years Sector to ensure that they are aware of children with additional needs accessing supports under the ECCE programme and who may need supports and or a special class or special school placement when they start school.
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.
