Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
527. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education if consideration would be given to allowing schools to use a two-year admission application process for children with special educational needs, disabilities and autism instead of the current one-year application process so that spaces for these children can be better planned at both primary and secondary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37146/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education NCSE has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews.
Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes. The local special educational needs organisers (SENOs) remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at: www.ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list.
Information on the list of schools with special classes, the types and locations of these classes is published on the NCSE website and is available at: www.ncse.ie/special-classes.
In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018.
All schools have published an admissions notice outlining the timelines of the admissions process, this must be published a minimum of one week prior to the admissions process taking place. The admissions forms are also published on the school’s website. Schools cannot start this process until 1 October at the earliest in the year preceding the school year applied for.
The advantage of having a clear starting date is that parents including those parents who are abroad and who might be thinking of returning home, will know with certainty that schools will not start accepting applications before this key date, but that once this date arrives, they must then be alert to the possibility of the school(s) in which they are interested commencing their admission process.
