Over 160 children with special educational needs to be homeschooled this year 

At least 400 new special classes and 300 new special school places will be required every year for the next three years in order to meet demand, according to the recently published brief. File picture: iStock

More than 160 children with special educational needs successfully sought home tuition because a school place was not “readily available” for them this school year.

The details are included in a recently published brief for the minister of State for special education Michael Moynihan.

Home tuition is provided as an interim measure only in certain cases and is not seen as an optional alternative to a school placement. 

The briefing document for the minister notes that the Department of Education received "upwards of 199” applications for home tuition this year from children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement where one is not readily available.
Of this, 163 applications were successful, it notes.

The briefing document adds: "It is not clear how many of these applications can be attributable to the delay in delivering modular accommodation to schools." 

However, it is important to note that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) are aware of all cases affecting such children and the department will continue working with the NCSE to ensure the children are supported in access an educational service when a placement is not available.

Meanwhile, primary school enrollments are projected to decline until 2036, while post-primary enrollments will peak in 2026/27 and stabilize by 2031-2032, according to briefing documents prepared for minister for education Helen McEntee.

Officials in the department are currently analysing the impact this will have on the teaching workforce, particularly around subject demand and the number of teachers registered, Annually, 3700 newly qualified teachers are registered, with a slight majority in primary education, the document notes.

"The demand for post-primary teachers is expected to persist, necessitating strategies like new teaching routes, universal qualifications, conversion programs, upskilling, targeted bursaries, and shared teaching resources to address the anticipated shortage."

The department's Special Education Unit is also working on aligning Irish special education with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to become "a more inclusive education system", the document notes.

This will come with challenges such as a lack of appetite in some schools to change or take on extra responsibility and will also require a shift in direction in providing specialist provision.

At least 400 new special classes and 300 new special school places will be required every year for the next three years in order to meet demand, it notes. 

"There are a number of challenges in maintaining this accelerated delivery of additional specialist provision, particularly in relation to capital funding to refurbish existing school accommodation and provide additional accommodation, as well as in relation to teacher supply to fill positions in new special classes and special schools."