Families of children with special needs say the “education system is broken” with many unable to access school places or support needed to help pupils with basic care needs.
Charlotte Cahill, whose daughter with additional needs turns six soon, told the Oireachtas education committee on Wednesday that she received more than 60 rejected admission applications from schools over the last two years.
This was despite assurances at the time from government ministers that every child known to education authorities would receive a school place.
“After legal action, my daughter was finally allocated a section 67 place, bypassing others on the waiting list. This highlights the ongoing crisis many families face,” she said.
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Ms Cahill, a member of the Equality in Education campaign, said the experience of parents of children with additional needs reflects a system under severe pressure and struggling to function effectively.
“While educators and frontline staff are deeply committed, urgent structural reforms are needed to ensure all children with additional needs can access inclusive, timely, and appropriate education,” she said.
In addition, she said the allocation model for special needs assistants (SNAs) and special education teachers was deeply flawed.
“Parents are often excluded from meaningful participation, despite being the most consistent voices for their children,” she said.
A focus on meeting primary care needs in SNA allocations meant neurodivergent children – who experience high levels of dysregulation, anxiety, or sensory overload – were being denied SNA support.
Rebecca Meehan, whose son has additional needs, said the education system was constantly firefighting with little planning or choice for parents.
“Families are often encouraged to accept whatever place they are offered, regardless of suitability,” she said.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) told the committee that it was working closely with schools and patrons to speed up the allocation of school places for children with additional needs, with almost 400 special classes sanctioned before Easter.
The NCSE is also supporting the establishment of five new special schools in Dublin, Monaghan, Tipperary and Cork.
The council’s chief executive, John Kearney, said progress was going “very well” in offering places to pupils, but was unable to tell TDs how many children are without a school place.
Minister for Education Helen McEntee told the Dáil recently that 92 per cent of the 3,275 students with a recommendation for a special class or special school place for September 2025 have been allocated a school place.
When asked by Socialist Party TD Ruth Coppinger if this meant up to 260 pupils were without a place, Mr Kearney said the Minister was due to brief the Cabinet shortly on placements.
Ms Coppinger responded: “We’re dealing with parents who don’t have school places ... I absolutely appreciate the pressure you are under ... but we should be privy to this information.”
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) told the committee that resourcing of schools has not kept pace with growing demands on the system.
“Furthermore, pressures are being brought to bear on some schools to open additional special classes when other schools in the same catchment area do not have any,” said IPPN chief executive Páiric Clerkin.
Some schools, he said, were being pressured to admit a seventh or eighth child into special classes designed for six children.
“This is inequitable and unfair,” he said.
At the very least, he said, schools require additional teachers and other supports to meet the needs of the children until a new special class place opens up, or a new special class is built.
