Number of children without appropriate school places could be 'worse than ever'

The department has faced criticism for the September deadline announced this week. File picture: Sam Boal

A parent-led campaign group has warned that the number of children with additional needs left without appropriate school places this September could be “worse than ever”.

Equality in Education Dublin has warned that more families with children who have no suitable school place for the upcoming academic year have started to come forward.

It comes in the week the Department of Education announced the deadline for parents to apply for a special education place for September 2027 has been brought forward by a month, the earliest in years.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was notified of 7,860 students who require a special class or school place for this September by its deadline last year of last October.

Just under 2,000 of these students had no school place, and were not already enrolled in school. 

The NCSE continued to receive notifications after this date. 

However, the Department of Education has not released this figure, or an updated figure on the numbers without school places. 

This is the third summer Education Equality has worked with parents, having staged ‘sleep-outs’ last year to highlight the number of families left without school places.

The group said it will “be linking up with parents from across the country to demand a proper national plan for special education provision”. 

Rachel Lowry, parent, SNA and co-founder of the group, said: “What we need in the longer term is a plan-led approach to special education provision, so that every child has an appropriate place in their own locality. 

“Children should not be forced to travel across the city, sit at home, in a community centre on reduced hours or be left in limbo because the department has failed to plan.”

Meanwhile, the department has faced criticism for the September deadline announced this week. 

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". 

Labour's education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny said the move would "pile unnecessary pressure on families". 

He added: "This decision is not about putting children first. It reflects a department that is more focused on managing budgets than meeting needs." 

Social Democrats' education spokesperson Jen Cummins said she was "flabbergasted" at the timing of the announcement. 

With schools now shut for the summer, many parents may be unaware that the portal has opened and "oblivious" to the September 1 deadline.

Sinn Féin education spokesperson Darren O'Rourke said it was a "totally inconsiderate" demand to place on families. 

"The Government must provide an appropriate school place for every child, regardless of whether they meet this arbitrary deadline." 

A spokesman for the Department of Education said that more than 34,000 students will be enrolled in special classes and special schools this coming school year, "an increase of 86% since 2020." 

"The earlier deadline is needed so that planning and funding decisions for the 2027/2028 school year can be made in time." 

For this September, 584 new special classes and four new special schools are set to open.