Minister announces actions to strengthen inclusive education for autistic pupils as Inspectorate report published

Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee today announced a series of actions to strengthen inclusive education for autistic pupils. This follows the publication of a new report by the department’s Inspectorate on provision in primary school special classes.

Minister McEntee reaffirmed her commitment to building a fully inclusive education system where every pupil feels valued, supported and can reach their full potential. This will be progressed through the publication of three documents which will play an important role in shaping the vision and delivery of education for all children and young people, including those with special or additional needs.

These include:

• An implementation plan arising from the Education for People with Special Educational Needs review
• A workforce development plan for Special Needs Assistants
• A roadmap for inclusion following intensive engagement with stakeholders and advocacy groups. This document, which is being prepared with the assistance of the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education through the EU’s Technical Support Instrument (TSI) process, seeks to address the recommendations of policy advice on inclusive education published by the National Council for Special Education.

The report, Special Classes for Autistic Pupils in Primary Schools: Towards a coherent, inclusive system, published today, follows detailed evaluations of 30 primary schools between September 2024 and February 2025. It provides an in-depth picture of how schools are meeting the needs of autistic pupils and identifies opportunities to further strengthen inclusive practice across the system.

Since 2020, the number of special classes for autistic pupils has almost doubled with, on average, two hundred and thirty-five special classes opening each year. At the time of the evaluations, there were almost two thousand special classes for autistic pupils in primary schools in Ireland.

The inspections highlighted many examples of good teaching, innovative learning approaches, and thorough assessment practices. In approximately half of the schools, however, inspectors identified three key areas for enhancement: improving opportunities for autistic pupils to learn with their peers, providing a broader and more balanced curriculum and strengthening how pupil progress is monitored and reviewed.

The report emphasises the importance of implementing a clear, whole-of-system vision for the education of autistic pupils. It recommends a comprehensive approach to initial teacher education and ongoing teacher professional learning in autism education to better support teaching and learning. It also notes the need for school leaders to regularly review pupils’ progress and ensure annual reviews of placement in special classes.

Publishing the report, Chief Inspector, Yvonne Keating, said:

Minister for Education and Youth, Helen McEntee TD, said:

Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, Minister Michael Moynihan also welcomed the report and said:

The full report is available here.

For further information please email Inspectorate@education.gov.ie

• The report published today is the third in a series of thematic reports published by the Inspectorate on provision for autistic children and young people.
• The first thematic report focused on provision in Early Intervention classes for Autistic Children. It was published in June 2024 and is available here.
• The second thematic report focused on admission policies of primary and post-primary special classes for autistic children and young people. It was published in May 2025 and is available here.
• To secure a place in a special class, a child must have a diagnosis of autism and a professional report that states the child has complex or severe learning needs that recommends the child requires the support of a special class and the reasons why this is the case. This is outlined in NCSE guidelines here.
• Since 2020, the number of special classes for autistic pupils has almost doubled with, on average, two hundred and thirty-five special classes opening each year. At the time of the evaluations, there were almost two thousand special classes for autistic pupils in primary schools in Ireland.

Current supports for special classes

• The enrolment in each special class is six pupils and the staffing allocation is one teacher and two Special Needs Assistants (SNAs).
• Schools can access a range of resources to support provision in the special class. These resources include
  • A special class start-up grant to cover the cost of resources for the class
  • Additional grants to cover a multi-sensory room, digital technologies and additional furniture and equipment.
  • Enhanced capitation and minor works grants.
• Autism Good Practice Guidance for Schools (2022) is designed to help teachers to deliver the curriculum to autistic pupils in the most inclusive, supportive and effective way possible. A companion document, Autism Good Practice Guidance for Schools: Indicators of Effective Practice sets out indicators of effective practice for schools.
• Teacher Professional Learning supports include:
  • For schools opening their first special class for autistic pupils, the NCSE offers a comprehensive package of Teacher Professional Learning (TPL).
  • Teachers in schools with established special classes for autistic pupils can access a range of Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) courses provided by the NCSE and the Middletown Centre for Autism – A joint venture between the Department of Education and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland designed to support the promotion of excellence in the education of pupils and young people with autism.
  • As outlined in Circular 0024/2024, the Department provides funding for Post-Graduate Certificate and Diploma courses in autism.

Relevant Circulars:

An enrolment in a special class is intended to be temporary and in line with Circular 0023/2025 should be kept under continual review by a school to ensure it remains the most appropriate educational enrolment for the pupil’s needs. At a minimum, a pupil’s enrolment in a special class should be reviewed annually.

Future Actions:

• The NCSE has also provided policy advice which recommends ‘the progressive realisation of the Irish inclusive education system where all local schools are enabled to educate all students in their community in line with students’ strengths and abilities.’
• The Department of Education and Youth will shortly be publishing:
  • An implementation plan arising from the EPSEN review
  • A workforce development plan for SNAs
  • A roadmap for inclusion following intensive engagement with stakeholders and advocacy groups. This document, which is being prepared with the assistance of the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education through the EU’s Technical Support Instrument (TSI) process, seeks to address the recommendations of policy advice on inclusive education published by the National Council for Special Education. The three documents will be important in shaping the Department’s vision and delivery of education for all children and young people, including those with special or additional needs.

Full set of recommendations:

• The full set of recommendations contained in the report are:

The Department of Education and Youth and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) should work together to lead the process of redeveloping a clear vision for educational provision for autistic children and young people. Key stakeholders, including parents, children and young people, school leaders, teachers, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the public should be involved in this process from the outset. In developing this vision, careful consideration should be given to the role and purpose of specialist provision within the Irish education system.

The NCSE, the Department of Education and Youth and the Health Service Executive should develop an action plan to:

• consolidate all advice and guidance currently available on the supports and services for autistic children and young people
• develop communication strategies to disseminate this information to all parents in a cohesive way across the country. This should include information on educational pathways and transitions
• ensure that parents experience a consistency of service, support and therapies, irrespective of where they live.

A whole-of-system approach to initial teacher education and ongoing teacher professional learning in autism education is required. This requires the involvement of the NCSE, National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), the Department of Education and Youth, Oide and initial teacher education providers. This approach should consider how best to ensure that all teachers of pupils in special classes have the required knowledge and skill to:

All teachers in special classes should provide learning programmes which include:

When pupils enrolled in a special class are provided with opportunities to learn with their peers in mainstream settings and where pupils from mainstream settings go to the special class, teachers should:

Leaders and management in schools should, in line with Circular 0023/2025, ensure that there is a formal annual review process in place which includes the views of parents, teachers and pupil voice where appropriate. The outcomes of each annual review should be recorded in each pupil’s student support plan.

Leaders and teachers should ensure that there is consistent communication with parents of pupils in special classes which:

• provides them with clear information about their child’s learning programme and the progress they are making
• enables parents to contribute to the learning targets and interventions in their child’s student support plan
• includes parents in reviews of their child’s progress in mainstream and special class settings
• includes parents in the annual review of special class enrolments.