Dublin’s special education crisis: We need your help 

A growing number of children with additional needs in Dublin are being denied their fundamental right to education.  

Over the coming months, this newspaper will be running an in-depth campaign examining the growing crisis facing special education in Dublin.   

We believe this issue demands urgent attention and a platform for the voices of families affected to be heard.   

We are calling on parents, guardians, and educators who have firsthand experience of this crisis to come forward and share their stories with us.  

The scale of the problem is stark.   

Special schools across Dublin, which cater to children with complex educational needs, are experiencing unprecedented demand.   

Each year, more and more children are being left without school places that suit their needs.   

Parents are facing the distressing reality of being told there is no room for their child, leaving families in limbo and forcing them to navigate an education system ill-equipped to accommodate their unique requirements.  

These special schools provide vital support for children with autism, intellectual disabilities, and other additional needs.   

They offer small class sizes, tailored learning approaches, and specialist staff—a combination that can make all the difference to a child’s development and quality of life.

However, the demand for such places far exceeds supply.  

The result is a crisis of growing proportions.   

Statistics from autism charity AsIAm notes that 3.3% of the Irish population are on the autism spectrum alone; the equivalent of the population of Tipperary.  

A 2016 report from the National Council for Special Education found that 1 in 65 students, or 1.5% of the school-going population at that time, were on the autism spectrum, a number which has undoubtedly grown in recent years.  

Breathless press releases from government saying that €10.5 billion is being spent on education in the Budget tells a very different reality on the ground.  

Throwing money at the issue will not solve it, it requires a change in attitude and a desire to fix it, a desire which has been found wanting.  

Families are left facing impossible choices. Some are forced to keep their children at home, missing out on crucial early intervention.  

Others must travel long distances across the city, or even beyond, to secure a suitable place.  

In the worst cases, parents have been left with no options at all, watching their child struggle without the educational support they desperately need.  

School principals and advocacy groups have been sounding the alarm for years.   

New special classes have been created in some mainstream schools, but this patchwork approach has not been enough to meet the growing demand.   

The number of children requiring support continues to rise, driven in part by increased diagnoses and better understanding of additional needs. Yet the system is failing to keep pace.  

Our campaign aims to shine a light on this issue, hold decision-makers to account, and advocate for real, lasting solutions.   

We will hear from parents who have battled the system, from educators working on the frontlines, and from children themselves about their experiences.   

We will investigate why progress has been so slow, and what needs to change to ensure every child gets the education they deserve.  

But we cannot do this alone.

We need your help.

If you are a parent struggling to find a place for your child in a special school, if you have been through this battle in the past, or if you work in a special education setting and have witnessed the pressures firsthand, we want to hear from you.

Your stories will be vital in showing the human side of this crisis and pushing for the changes that are so desperately needed.  

Please get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] or calling 018621611.   

Your voice matters. Together, we can work towards a future where every child in Dublin has access to the education and support they need.  

Going forward, we will publish detailed reports, interviews, and expert analysis as we uncover the realities faced by families across the city.

This crisis cannot be ignored any longer. It is time to demand action.