The Minister of Education and Youth’s announcement of the opening of “Inclusive special classes” in September has sparked criticism from advocacy groups who say they were not consulted. The initiative, announced last week, represents the latest phase in the ongoing rapid expansion of provision for students with additional educational needs. Five postprimary schools have been identified for the opening of this new form of special needs provision this September.
The practice, which has been successfully piloted, will see selected students remain in the mainstream setting but able to access a dedicated special class during the school day. The “inclusive special class” will be a space where they can regulate, take sensory breaks, and receive targeted support from teachers with specific training in special education, with the support of Special Needs Assistants. According to the Department, this ultimately means the schools are more “inclusive” because they can enrol more students who might otherwise have found themselves in a separate, “Special Class” or even a “Special school”.
Teachers and principals and other advocates for greater inclusion have long reported that many students with additional needs perform well academically and socially when they have access to such a space. “They may just need a break,” one principal explained, “and the reassurance that there is somewhere calm and staffed where they can go before returning to class with their peers.”
Criticism
However, the announcement has drawn sharp criticism from leading advocacy organisations. Following a specially convened meeting of the Special Education Forum last week, Autism charity AsIAm and Inclusion Ireland issued a joint statement expressing “deep concern” that the initiative was introduced without consultation with children, families, or their representative bodies. The statement affirmed that…. “both organisations want to see a range of options available which are child-centred and inclusive…” but that “….any changes in the system must be co-designed with children and families,”
This approach formalises and strengthens practices already established in many schools”
In response, the Minister for Education stated that the new classes are “an extension of a practice already in place in some schools,” emphasising that the move formalises existing good practice rather than introducing an entirely new structure. She also noted that the initiative aligns with broader national and international policy developments in inclusive education.
School management bodies — including the JMB, ETBI, ACCS, issued a rare joint press release welcoming the announcement. Deirdre Matthews of the JMB commented that “this approach formalises and strengthens practices already established in many schools and aligns with national policy developments in inclusive education.” The unity among management bodies is notable, given the ongoing concerns about inequality in the funding and the diversity of ethos and governance structures across the postprimary sector.
Expansion
The introduction of five Inclusive Special Classes coincides with the opening of 45 new ‘Special Classes’ this September and represents the latest phase of the ongoing unprecedented expansion in special education provision. Since 2020, Special school enrolments have risen by 20%. The number of special classes in Primary has increased by 99%, from 1,319 to 2,629. Postprimary special classes have increased by 115%, from 517 to 1,112 and sixteen new special schools have opened. Budget 2026 has allocated funding for a further 3,000 places, including more than 430 new special classes and up to 400 additional special school places.
Ireland’s education system is significantly underfunded by international standards”
Yet this expansion is taking place against a backdrop of what is regarded as a ‘significant overspend in Education’. In 2026, the Department of Education is forecast to exceed its budget allocation by a figure the Minister described as “north of €500 million.” Other commentators have estimated the figure may exceed 700 million. Although it is being characterised as an ‘overspend’, the fact remains that the original budget figure of 13.5 billion represents less than 3% of GDP, a figure which places Ireland at the bottom of the table of 34 OECD countries. The OECD average is 5.7%.
For years, school leaders, management bodies, teacher unions, and researchers have warned that Ireland’s education system is significantly underfunded by international standards. The fact that we will actually spend almost 3/4 billion more than forecast this year just to pay the bills merely confirms what we’ve all long known.
Challenges
On the Education Nation podcast, guests have repeatedly highlighted what they describe our funding of education as “doing it on the cheap,” with school finances described by CPSMA CEO Seamus Mulconry as “somewhere between a farce and a nightmare”. Let’s not be fooled by the eyewatering sum of 13.5 billion, or the commendable expansion in capital funding and funding for Special education. The fact is that in every sector, in every county in Ireland schools today are forced to operate on a shoestring and the expansion of special education provision, while widely welcomed, will intensify pressure on staffing, maintenance of buildings and facilities, and core funding.
Against this complex backdrop, the introduction of ‘inclusive special classes’ is certainly good news to be welcomed but once again, a Department announcement will highlight inadequate funding and will raise many questions. Supporters will argue that the rollout of this model will make our system more inclusive, reduce unnecessary referrals to special schools and will keep more students in their local communities. Critics worry that it is a faux inclusion and that, without proper consultation, resourcing, and oversight, the initiative may not meet the needs of students and could inadvertently create new forms of segregation or place additional strain on already stretched schools.
Our chances of reaching that destination will only increase when there is more meaningful consultation”
There are also practical challenges ahead. When asked on RTÉ whether she could guarantee a place for every child who needs one next September, the Minister replied: “Yes — it may not be where they want it, but the assurance is there.” This comment will resonate as September approaches, when families, schools, and advocacy groups will be watching closely. When the minister says “it may not be where they want”, she means that parents will probably continue to have to travel 30, 50 or even 100 kms a day on the school run. That’s the reality behind the throwaway comment.
The introduction of Inclusive Special Classes may prove to be an important step in the long journey toward the holy grail of inclusion, a future when every child can access their local school and receive a quality education. But our chances of reaching that destination will only increase when there is more meaningful consultation, an honest approach to funding in education and a commitment to ensuring that inclusion is not just a policy aspiration, but a lived reality in every school.