Special school place deadline moved forward ahead of Budget 2027

This is the earliest ever deadline for the 'Parents Notify' process, with the online portal now open for the 2027/28 school year. iStock

The deadline for families to tell the Department of Education they need a special educational school place for September 2027 has been brought forward to feed into the upcoming budget. 

Parents seeking school places for children with special educational needs for September 2027 must notify the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) by September 1 this year. 

This is the earliest ever deadline for the 'Parents Notify' process, introduced by the Department of Education and NCSE in recent years, with the online portal now open for the 2027/28 school year. 

Parents must notify the NCSE of their need for a place by this date, and provide required documentation by September 15, or "as soon as practicable thereafter", according to the Department of Education.

Education minister Hildegarde Naughton said the move to bring the 'Parents Notify' deadline forward was necessary to give her "the opportunity to feed into the budgetary process to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children in our society". 

Department of Education overspend

Earlier in the year, a number of government departments were told they have to reduce expected spending by up to 1.4% due to a budget deficit faced by the Department of Education. 

It came to light in March that there was a projected overspend at the department of between €600m and €700m. Last year, the deadline to notify the NCSE was October 1, with the budget taking place on October 8. 

Ms Naughton said: "I want to ensure that we get a clear picture of type of provision required by children and young people for September 2027." 

“I want to give a clear message to parents that the most important thing they can do if they feel their child needs a specialist placement is to contact the NCSE by September 1 and then documentation can follow. 

"There is no need to contact schools at this point but if parents have any queries at any stage they can contact their local special educational needs organiser."

She added: "I also want to reassure families that we will continue to support them throughout this process and beyond." 

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Last year, the department brought forward the 'Parents Notify' timeline by four months so that new special classes could be sanctioned earlier, said special education minister Michael Moynihan. 

"We are keen to build on that progress. That is why it is so important that families notify the NCSE through the online portal as early as possible and submit the required documentation as soon as it becomes available." 

• Jess Casey, Education Correspondent