Ten new special education classes for Westmeath schools

A number of Westmeath schools are set to benefit from newly granted special education classes.

Local primary schools St. Anne's N.S. Tyrrellspass, St. Mary's NS Collinstown and St. Mary's N.S. Rathowen will each receive two new special classes. Scoil na gCeithre Maistri in Athlone will receive one new class.

Post-primary schools Loreto College, Mercy Secondary School Kilbeggan and the Marist College were all granted one additional special educational class in a recent announcement.

Each special class will facilitate up to six pupils, one teacher and one special needs assistant.

Minister for Education Norma Foley announced funding will be made available in the upcoming budget to provide 10 new special classes in Westmeath for the forthcoming 2024/2025 school year.

Local TD Robert Troy welcomed the news saying the additional classes are a sign of this government’s “commitment” to delivering an inclusive education for all our children.

“I want to thank all our local schools who are working so hard to make this happen in conjunction with the Department of Education and the National Council for Special Education. This is a sign of this government’s commitment to delivering an inclusive education for all our children,” Deputy Troy said.

In total, over 375 new special classes will be delivered in September for around 2,300 children with additional educational needs around the country. Additional building work is being carried out in schools across the country to provide either new classrooms or refurbish existing classrooms for the new special classes.

Minister for Education Norma Foley TD said: “The new special needs classes coming on stream will bring the overall number of special classes in our education system to more than 3,000 nationwide. This will provide places for over 20,000 students. I want to thank all those involved in delivering the new special classes, including the schools, the staff and the building firms.

“We now have more than 40,000 professionals working in special education – over 21,000 special needs assistants and over 19,000 special education teachers. That is the highest number of SNAs and teachers ever working in the area of special education. We have also delivered 11 new special schools during our term in government so far.”

The Department of Education and the National Council for Special Education are actively engaging with school patrons and a small number of schools to finalise the arrangements necessary for the remainder of special classes to open for the coming school year in the areas where they are needed. The number of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) who help parents to find school places and health services for their children has increased from 73 to 120.

“I know that there are still challenges delivering school places for children with additional educational needs in their nearest school. It is my absolute aspiration that it will, in time, come to a point where every child with additional educational needs will be able to attend their local school and that there will be no distance for them to travel. We are making progress in that respect, but there is more to be done,” concluded Minister Foley.