Government agency to fund research into rise in demand for special education

There has been an exceptional growth in demand for placements in special school or class placements in recent years. File picture: Danny Lawson/PA

A Government agency is set to spend up to almost €100,000 on a research project to discover why there’s been “exceptional” growth in demand for special school and special class places in recent years.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has gone out to tender for a contractor to deliver this research, as part of its remit to identify and plan for the establishment of special classes and special schools across the country.

It comes amid a rise of the number of children on waiting lists across the country for special school or class placements. 

Last week, the Irish Examiner reported on one school in Waterford that currently has 20 children on its waiting list.

Principal of St John’s Special School in Dungarvan, Aoife O’Neill, said there is high demand for places each year due to the school’s open designation. 

She contacted the NCSE earlier in the year after she noticed applications for September tripled.

In its invitation to tender, the NCSE said there has been an “exceptional growth in demand for placements in these settings in recent years”.

“The growth in special classes in mainstream schools has been particularly significant, with a 556% rise in primary school classes and a 665% increase in post-primary classes between 2010 to 2022 with this trend continuing in 2023/2024,” it said.

Eleven new special schools opened in recent years

“In addition, 11 new special schools have been opened in recent years, despite no new special schools opening in the previous 20 years.” 

It said that provisions for students with special educational needs in mainstream classes continues with resources “allocated to schools to support students through a variety of schemes”.

According to the NCSE, demand for mainstream support is less visible than that for special schools and classes, as there is no requirement for an individualised application for services.

“Resources are mostly provided to mainstream classes on a frontloaded allocation basis to schools who then determine allocation to students based on need,” it said.

The research it is commissioning must identify the reasons behind the significant growth in demand, particularly in the last decade.

It should include the views of parents of children at different stages of their education, students, advocacy groups, school leaders and management bodies, and clinical and other professionals.

The maximum budget for the project is €90,000, and it must be completed by November.

In the case of the Waterford school, of the 20 children on the waiting list currently, five are waiting for places in the school's severe to profound class.

The students are between the ages of four to 16, each with differing needs; some are ready to start their primary education, some are starting their secondary education, and "many" are looking to move from their current school to St John's.

Some are without any school placement due a breakdown in their previous setting. If a child enters the school at the age of four or five, they attend St John's until they turn 18 which means it is 13 years before that space frees up again.