Centralised application system for NCSE long overdue – Kenny
Centralised application system for NCSE long overdue - Kenny - The Labour Party
- 1,000 children could be without school place in September
Labour’s education spokesperson has urged the Minister for Education to create a centralised application system within the National Council for Special Education to streamline the process of applying for school places for the forthcoming school year.
Deputy Kenny said:
“Any family who is seeking a special education place or who is advocating for a child with additional needs feels like they are in constant battle with the State. The Labour Party has long called for a centralised system to the NCSE so that the State can have a clear picture of how many children need places, what type of places they need and where those places should be delivered.
“Without that data, the Government is effectively planning blind.
“Last month the Minister for Education made the catastrophic error of attempting to cut SNAs. Only when the Opposition and SNA groups met the Minister’s plans with absolute opposition did the Government back down.
“We need the Minister to stop firefighting and start planing properly for children across the country with additional needs who deserve the same access to education as any other child.
“I am very concerned at the lack of preparedness for the forthcoming school year. An additional 600 special classes will be needed for September. Funding was made available in the Budget for an additional 400 special classes which means that we are already 200 classrooms short of what is needed.
“There are four to six pupils in each special class, meaning that anywhere between 800 to 1,000 children are at risk of being told that there will not be a place for them. The Minister has been utterly silent on this.
“Equally, the Department has failed to grasp the nettle on addressing the enormous shortage of teachers, which disproportionately impacts children with additional education needs. An INTO survey of teachers from November 2025 showed that over half of special schools reported unfilled teaching posts which is leaving children without consistent classroom support. It’s not acceptable.
“We are not planning properly within the Education sector in this country. Everything is met as a surprise by Government. As a country we should take pride in providing top quality education to every child. A centralised application system for the NCSE is not a panacea, but it is incredible to me that one is not yet in place.”