Minister to compel school to open special needs class as she announces 399 for next school year

Speaking at a school in Clonsilla in Dublin on Friday, Helen McEntee said that number of new special needs classes should be 400 but that she was engaging with one further school. File photo: Don MacMonagle

The minister for education has warned schools that she will use her powers to force them to open special needs classes, with one school set to be compelled in the next week.

The Department of Education on Friday confirmed that 399 new special needs classes would be created for the 2025/2026 school year. The newly sanctioned classes include 287 primary special classes and 112 post-primary special classes.

Speaking at a school in Clonsilla in Dublin on Friday, Helen McEntee said that number should be 400 but that she was engaging with one further school. It is understood that Ms McEntee is prepared to sanction that school within the next week if the engagement is not positive.

Ms McEntee said: "As of today, there are 399 new special education classrooms that have been sanctioned. This is on top of the 300 new places that we are providing through special schools for this September coming. And my focus and my priority now is to make sure that every single school place that has been sanctioned and that has been agreed is open for this coming term.

"The figure is 399, we've committed to 400 and as of today 399 have been sanctioned. I want to thank all of those schools. It's not always easy, and it can be a complex process. 

The one school that is remaining, I will use the section 37A [powers of compellability]. I don't want to have to, so I would encourage the school to continue engaging with us in a long process that we've been engaging with them on thus far. 

"I hope to get to a point where we'll have 400."

Ms McEntee was asked about the particular case of Danu Special School in Blanchardstown, which admitted 12 new students in September 2024 under a deal with the department, but has not yet been able to take any of the children in due to a lack of a modular building. 

She said that she was "very aware" of the school and was focusing on ensuring the places would be available as soon as possible. 

In a response to her party colleague Emer Currie this week, Ms McEntee said that the building is being constructed off-site at present and was undergoing necessary compliance works. It is understood that the building will be in place in the early summer.

Leaving Cert grades

Separately, Ms McEntee said that reducing Leaving Cert grade inflation was the "fairest way" to solve the issue.

Grade inflation, commenced during the covid pandemic, will begin to be unwound from this year, but some have warned that such a move would leave 2024 students who deferred places last year in a stronger position than this year's Leaving Cert cohort.

Ms McEntee said that the system has to return to what it was pre-covid and that doing so gradually is fair.

“What I'm trying to do is make sure that it's done in as fair a way as possible, to reassure students that for the most part, people will get their top three choices.

“That's always been the case, but that also there isn't a sudden influx of people from last year who are going to be applying,” Ms McEntee said. “It's to reduce it in as gradual a way as possible, in as minimal a way as possible, so that impacts as little people as possible.

“While it's increased over two years and increased to 7%, we're talking about a 1.5% [reduction] initially, and a more gradual, lengthy delay in reducing it back to normal. And I think this will benefit everybody,” she said. 

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She added that between 80% and 90% of students will receive their top choice.

“Inflation is there for a reason, and I think we all agree why it was brought in at the time. Students weren't in school. They were at such a disadvantage because of covid-19, and this allowed for that. But we have to get back to somewhat normality."