Number of disabled pupils taking up free pre-school year unknown

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has no record of how many pupils with disabilities take up options to extend or delay their use of Government-funded pre-schooling.

Although the option has been available since soon after the free Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme (ECCE) was introduced four years ago, the DCYA told the Irish Examiner it does not know how many of around 68,000 children funded for the programme each year benefit.

“Figures for exemptions are not available,  as we do not routinely gather that information, but the intention is to do so in the future,” a spokesperson said.