Minister for Education and Youth update on Primary and Post-Primary Schools that have been sanctioned for an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Class for 2025-26

The Minister states:

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory agency with responsibility for the provision of special education places. The NCSE has sanctioned 407 new special classes for the coming school year of which 398 are autism special classes while 3 are autism early intervention classes. This brings to 3,742 the number of special classes in our schools. The NCSE has advised my department that an updated list of these classes is available on the NCSE website.

Combined with 300 new special school places this brings to 2,700 the number of new school places for children with special educational needs. This additional capacity, together with the movement of children across existing classes, means that my department and NCSE has created more capacity than children known to the NCSE by the deadline of February 2025.

The NCSE has advised me, that outside of Dublin, all children known to them by the February deadline, who required a special class placement at primary and post primary level have received a place.

For a small number of children in the Dublin area who are seeking a special class or special school placement, the NCSE is working intensively with those parents and the schools concerned to finalise the arrangements for the 2025/26 school year.

In addition, the NCSE are working closely with parents who came forward post the February deadline to support them into available placements.

This year, in order to ensure new special classes could open as quickly as possible for the 2025/26 school year the NCSE prioritised work with medium and larger primary schools which have available accommodation and which do not have an existing special class. This approach maximises the use of existing space which can be reconfigured efficiently while also ensuring that new provision continues to be established.

The increased number of schools with special classes provides parents with greater choice and it will also reduce the distances that some children are travelling to access a special class place. This will remain a priority for the 2026/27 school year. My department has issued a new circular to advise schools and parents to notify the NCSE by 1 October this year if seeking a specialist placement for the 2026/27 school year.

This will provide the NCSE with the data to sanction special classes earlier and allow parents and schools more time to plan enrolments.