Special education crisis deepens as Dáil begins summer break

More than 260 children with additional needs remain without appropriate school places for September, as the Dáil departs for its summer recess, leaving families angry, anxious, and feeling abandoned.

Campaigners say the long-running crisis in special education is being worsened by government inaction, vague promises, and a failure to plan properly.

With the new school year just weeks away, many parents have been forced to take legal action to secure even the most basic supports for their children.

Rachel Martin of Equality in Education said: “A renewed special education school places crisis is approaching but the Minister has not answered repeated questions about how many children are without appropriate school places.”

Based on information from the Department of Education, at least 260 children across the country are still without appropriate provision for the new term.

Some have no school place at all, while others have offers that cannot be fulfilled due to delayed building works or missing modular classrooms — with no clear timeline provided.

Martin added that some families were persuaded to accept places in unsuitable mainstream settings, only to find that promised supports such as Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) were not delivered.

People Before Profit councillor and Equality in Education co-founder Conor Reddy has criticised the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) for using Section 67 of the Education Act to push special class sizes beyond safe and sustainable limits.

“The NCSE is instructing schools to expand some special classes from the standard six children to eight or more,” he said.

“Parents are told that extra SNAs will be provided — but the 1,600 SNAs announced in last year’s budget have already been allocated.

“There is no clarity on where further support is coming from.”

Reddy also said the system now favours those who can take legal action.

“It has become clear that the NCSE is prioritising children whose parents have initiated legal proceedings.

“That is completely unfair and leaves hundreds of others behind.”

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy raised the issue in the Dáil before it broke for the summer and warned that the government is walking away from a worsening crisis.

“The Dáil won’t sit again until September 17, which is weeks into the new school term,” he said.

“Yet more than 260 children are still without an appropriate place. That’s simply unacceptable.”

Murphy called on the Taoiseach to give clear answers on whether all children registered with the NCSE will get the supports they need, including proper staffing for overcrowded special classes, and whether every child currently without a school place will be accommodated by the start of term.

“Unfortunately, the Taoiseach offered only his usual evasions,” said Murphy.

“Parents don’t get to take a holiday from this crisis.

“The government must act now to provide the school places, resources and supports every child deserves.”