Ministers Announce New Special and Inclusive Classes for 2026/2027 School Year

Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, and Minister of State for Special Education, Michael Moynihan, have today announced the sanctioning of 40 new special classes and 5 inclusive special classes for the 2026/2027 school year, further expanding provision for children and young people with special educational needs.

This builds on last week’s confirmation of plans to establish four new special schools for the coming academic year. (https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/press-releases/four-new-special-schools-announced-to-deliver-for-children-with-additional-needs/ )

Continued Expansion of Special Education Provision

The majority of students with special educational needs continue to be supported in mainstream classrooms alongside their peers in local communities. Where students have more complex needs, special class placements are provided, while students with the most complex needs are supported through special school placements.

The Government remains committed to accelerating the delivery of additional special education provision. In recent years, new special classes have been established at both primary and post-primary levels in every county.

Since 2020, provision has expanded significantly:

• Primary special classes have increased by 99%, from 1,319 to 2,629
• Post-primary special classes have increased by 115%, from 517 to 1,112
• 16 new special schools have opened, with a further 4 planned
• Special school enrolments have increased by 20%
• Over 40% of special schools have benefitted from new or upgraded building projects

Budget 2026 has also provided funding for 3,000 additional places, including over 430 new special classes and up to 400 special school places.

Increased Demand and Earlier Planning

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has reported a continued increase in demand for special education places for the 2026/2027 school year. A key development has been the introduction of the online “Parents Notify” process, which has provided clearer, earlier visibility of need and enabled more proactive engagement with schools.

Approximately 75% of students identified as requiring a special class place are already in school, while others are younger children who may apply for places in future school years.

The NCSE will continue to monitor demand and support families through the continued sanctioning of classes throughout the placement process.

New Special Classes for 2026/2027

Today’s announcement brings the total number of new special classes sanctioned for the upcoming school year to 427, with further approvals expected in the coming weeks.

Notably, many classes were sanctioned earlier than in previous years, reflecting a strengthened focus on forward planning. The Department and the NCSE will continue to prioritise early approvals.

A list of the 40 new special classes being announced today is at Appendix 1.

Introducing Inclusive Special Classes

Five inclusive special classes have also been sanctioned as part of a new approach to supporting students with additional needs.

This builds on good practice that helps students with additional needs learn alongside other students in mainstream classes, while also having time during the day to receive extra support in a special class.

This approach formalises good practices already in place in many schools and aligns with national policy developments on inclusive education.

Inclusive special classes help more students attend their local schools while still getting the support they need. Students can move between mainstream classes and special classes depending on what support they need at any time.

Inclusive special classes are already operating in number of schools that have at least one special class. This allows schools to support more students within the same school setting and builds on what is already working well in some schools. This approach reflects the demand from schools across the country for more flexible and inclusive ways to support students with additional needs.

Each inclusive special class will receive funding for:

• 1 teacher (or 1.5 teachers at post‑primary level)
• 2 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs)
• Extra capitation funding
• Access to training and support from the NCSE

Schools will also receive:

• A €30,000 start‑up grant for furniture and equipment
• Funding for minor building works or repurposing works, where needed

Students attending these classes will also be eligible for standard school transport supports.

A list of schools establishing the five inclusive special classes is included at Appendix 2.

Confirming the sanctioning of classes this afternoon, Minister Naughton said:

Minister Moynihan said:

Notes for the editor:

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Department and the NCSE will closely monitor and evaluate the implementation of inclusive special classes. The Inspectorate will assess educational outcomes to ensure the model delivers positive learning experiences for children and young people.

Work progressing to develop a more inclusive education system

Over the last three years, whilst significantly increasing special education capacity, the Department has also been undertaking extensive work to reform special education policy and move towards a more inclusive, high quality education experience for all children and young people. This work has included: -

• A major review of the EPSEN (Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs) Act 2004, involving input from almost 30,000 people and stakeholder organisations. An Action Plan has also been developed to implement the Review’s findings
• Engagement with the European Agency on Special Education to assist us to build on the NCSE policy advice of 2024 Towards Inclusion and develop a new Roadmap for Inclusive Education
• Development of a new Education Therapy Service
• Development of a new Workforce Plan for our near 25,000 strong SNA workforce. This includes a new contract and a greater focus on training and development for example.
• A significant focus of the School Transport Scheme Review published in 2024 was on the special education element of the scheme
• In addition, the Department is trialling a number of pilot programmes aimed at supporting the development of inclusive practices in schools. These include the Towards Inclusion programme which links mainstream and special schools, a Transitions programme aimed at supporting students with special educational needs into post-school options and Saibhriú which focuses on students with exceptional abilities. Further programmes will be introduced in the coming school year. Learning from these programmes will inform policy development. 

Use of legislative powers

Given the increased level of need, the Ministers continue to monitor the need to use legislative powers if necessary. The NCSE are engaging with school patron bodies and school management bodies in relation to a small number of schools that have yet to confirm that they will open a new special class for the next school year. If this matter is not progressed quickly, the NCSE have the option to issue a report to the Minister under Section 37A of the Education Act 1998 to 2022. The Minister may then consider commencing a process under Section 37A to compel a school or schools to provide additional capacity for children and young people with special educational needs.

ENDS 

Appendix 1 – List of additional 40 new special classes in mainstream schools for 2026/27

Appendix 2 – List of five inclusive special classes