IPPN

Published: 05 June 2025

Late last week, the DE published Circular 0039/2025 issued to schools detailing a range of measures designed to support the process of forward planning for Special Education provision for the 2026/27 school year and beyond.

The following points of information relate to the opening of special classes in schools for the 2026/27 school year.

• It is aim of the Department and the NCSE that the majority of new special classes for the 2026/2027 school year will be sanctioned by 31st December 2025.
• The NCSE’s focus will be on
  • the remaining medium to larger primary schools (at least principal + 8 teachers) who will not have a special class for the 2025/2026 school year
  • medium and larger primary schools who have 1 or 2 special classes, but based on their enrolments, could provide additional special classes
• It is the intention of both the Department and the NCSE that schools that have 3 or more existing special classes will not be requested to open further special classes for the 2026/2027 school year.
• To assist in achieving the expedited timeline, parents are now asked to notify the NCSE of their child’s need for placement in a special class setting by 1st October 2025.
• Schools who receive applications from parents for a place in a special class should encourage those parents to notify the NCSE.
• Schools who have children already enrolled in the school whose parents are seeking a special class placement should also notify the NCSE by 1st October 2025.
• In addition to the existing 3 criteria to be eligible for placement in a special class, a fourth criterion must now be met which is a letter from the NCSE confirming that the child is known to them and that the child has the required diagnosis and recommendation for a special class for autism.
• School’s admission policies must now be updated to include this additional criterion.
• School patrons have been directed to review the admissions policies of their schools with special classes to ensure that any soft barriers to inclusion are removed.
• Such soft barriers include
  
  • references to prospective students’ potential behaviour
  • additional requests for reports and documentation over and above a diagnosis and professional reports confirming eligibility for the special class and
  • references to admission to the special class being contingent on resources
• Where a special class is oversubscribed, the Admissions to School Act 2018 requires schools to compile a waiting list for a special class in accordance with their admissions policy. The school must use this list to fill any vacancies arising during the school year in question only. If the school receives late applications for placement in the special class, these applicants should be added to the bottom of the waiting list. Late applicants cannot be prioritised over those on the existing waiting list for the special class.