“Since taking up my role, it has been a key priority of mine to support students with additional educational needs. Today, we are setting out new measures that will support schools in their forward planning for special education, which will in turn provide greater clarity to students and their families.

“This year, the sanctioning of new special education classes happened many months earlier than previous years. I want to ensure this happens even earlier next year. Sanctioning all new special education classes for the 2026/27 school year by December 31 is an ambitious target, however it is the right thing to do to support students and parents, schools, patrons and management bodies. This will require significant work, collaboration and buy-in from all stakeholders.

“Other measures to support students and families include bringing forward the timeline by which parents are to notify the NCSE that a child requires a special class or special school placement to 1 October 2025, as this will in turn allow for better forward planning for schools.

“Other initiatives underway include a common application trial for special class enrolments at primary level in a number of areas, work to develop similar for post-primary level, the requirement for patrons to review their admissions policies for special schools and special classes and streamlined arrangements to support the use of existing accommodation for new special classes.

“I have also asked the NCSE and the department to ensure that additional steps are taken to make parents of children with special educational needs more aware of the supports available in schools, and of the role of the NCSE.”

“While the vast majority of students with special educational needs are supported in mainstream classes with their peers, the need for additional provision in special classes and special schools continues to increase. I’m hopeful that the change in the timelines for sanctioning special classes and special school placements will help ease the stress and strain on parents as they seek clarity on where their children will be going to school the following year.

“This is an issue often raised with me, and I’m confident that the measures being announced today will facilitate and drive the kind of collaboration and support between schools, the department and the NCSE which is much needed if we are to appropriately plan and prepare for this ever-increasing need.

“I would like to acknowledge the NCSE sanctioning new special education classes and spaces earlier this year, which has given both schools and parents more time to prepare for the new school year. The vast majority of schools opening new special classes are completing or have completed their admissions processes and the NCSE and the department is working closely with a few remaining schools and their patron bodies to ensure that their admission processes start shortly.

“Over 2,000 additional special classes in mainstream schools and 16 new special schools have been established nationwide since the 2019/20 school year. This means that for the next school year, we will have over 3,700 special classes and 129 special schools helping to ensure that every child has a school place that meets their needs. Looking further ahead beyond today’s announcements, I am pleased that progress is now underway in developing a new roadmap to provide a more inclusive education system, in line with the NCSE policy advice, which will see the majority of children with special educational needs supported to attend their local school.”

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