Dublin, Cork: Minister Madigan announces 17% increase in special class places

Josepha Madigan, the state minister in charge of special education, has provided an update on the government's efforts to fill special class and special school seats in Dublin and Cork for the upcoming academic year.

The availability of special education spaces had already reached a crisis point earlier in the summer when the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO) reported that both cities were "black spots" where the Department of Education was failing students with special needs.

According to the report, up to 15,500 kids needed to travel daily to schools outside of their neighbourhood to receive their education.

Minister Madigan stated today in a statement:

"It is a priority for this Government and for me as Minister to enable children with special educational needs to get an education appropriate to their needs."

"I will continue to prioritise assisting children with special educational needs in Budget 2023," the statement reads. "This year, slightly under 25% of the entire Education budget, or €2 billion, will be invested in supporting children with special educational needs."

A record 2,535 special classes—an increase of 383 classes from the previous school year—will start up in September.

This will guarantee that 15,759 special class spots, including 2312 additional spots, will be available this year.

According to Madigan, it is imperative that the government and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) mandate that special education classes be offered in schools.

The Education (Provision in Respect of Children with Special Educational Needs) Bill 2022, passed in June, gave the minister the power to order a school to launch a special class within six to eight weeks of receiving a report from the NCSE outlining its assessment that there are not enough school seats in a particular area.

A child's school placement might be secured through the Section 37A process in the past, although it could take anywhere from 12 to 18 months.

The NCSE has informed us that we currently have enough places available to meet the expected need for this school year, and as Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education, "my number one priority has been to ensure that every child in this country has access to a school place," she continued.

Previously, Madigan faced criticism from opposition TDs and activists after mentioning four Dublin-area schools on RTÉ's Saturday with Katie Hannon programme, which she claimed had not been working with the government to fill school slots.

In response to a question about it, Madigan stated that in her opinion, they were "ignor[ing] the importance of correspondence."

Concluding today’s statement, she thanked  St Michael’s House in North Dublin, the Spiritan Education Trust in South Dublin and Cork Education and Training Board for their cooperation.