Almost 800 special class places vacant in schools despite families struggling for support

The Department of Education has confirmed an exercise by the National Council for Special Education, carried out at the start of the school year, recorded 782 vacancies in special classes attached to mainstream schools.

There were almost 800 vacant places in special classes in schools across the country in September, which parents say reveals a widening gap between official figures and the lived reality of families seeking appropriate education for their children.

The Department of Education has confirmed an exercise by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), carried out at the start of the school year, recorded 782 vacancies in special classes attached to mainstream schools.