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Next September a new special school will be established in South Dublin for dozens of children with diseases such as autism and learning disabilities.
The measure aims to address a severe shortage of suitable school places for children with special needs in the South Dublin area.
The school will be based on the former Scoil Colm campus in Crumlin, and will initially serve at least 35 students.
Education Minister Norma Foley and State Minister responsible for special education Josepha Madigan made the announcement Thursday night.
The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. Diarmuid Martin, has agreed to be the patron of the new school, which will operate alongside another special school, Scoil Eoin.
There is a longer-term plan to establish a single campus for special education in the coming years.
Madigan said she was delighted to have secured a deal to open the new special school.
“This is a much needed development that will help meet the demand for special school places in the area. As Minister of State for Special Education, I am determined to support students and their families in securing school places where they are needed. I know this can be a difficult process and I want to make it as easy as possible. “
He said that there has been a shortage of places in special schools in the South Dublin area, and many students who should have a place in a special school could not get one.
“This has impacted their lives and the lives of their families. This new school will increase the number of places available to students in the area and allow students to receive a well-rounded education appropriate to their needs.
Activists
For several years, activists in the South Dublin area have been calling for additional places for special classes and a special school to help meet the needs of children with additional needs. They say that the shortage of places is forcing many children to use home tuition or to travel long distances around the city to access school places.
The Department of Education says that 78 additional placements in primary special classes and 12 placements in early intervention special classes have been established since September 2020.
Since then, five additional specialty classes have opened, while an additional specialty class will open in January.
He said the work was continuing through a new legal process, known as Section 37A, to force schools in the area to provide additional special classes.
Ultimately, this may result in the Minister of Education issuing binding instructions to schools to establish additional classes for children with special needs.
In a statement, the department said it was monitoring the availability of places for students with special needs across the country as a priority issue and would continue to work with relevant stakeholders.
The department works with the National Council for Special Education, which is responsible for working with families and schools and for providing and coordinating an adequate number of specialized educational venues to meet local demand.
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