I congratulate the new Minister of State, Deputy Naughton. I do not think I got an opportunity to do so. Go n-éirí léi ina ról nua agus.
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Go raibh maith agat.
Tá fáilte roimpi.
State Examinations
Sorca Clarke
Question:54. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education to address the concerns raised by organisation (details supplied) in relation to the 2023 draft specifications in leaving certificate biology, chemistry and physics. [16255/24]
I ask the Minister to address the concerns raised in the report presented to her Department and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, in response to the 2023 draft specification in leaving certificate biology, chemistry and physics.
Senior cycle redevelopment is an ambitious programme of work that aims to ensure students experience senior cycle in a way that reflects who they are and the world they live in now and in which they will live in the future. I acknowledge that with the introduction of curricular change, teachers and school leaders want support in order to give their students the best possible experience. As a former teacher and as Minister for Education, I certainly feel the same.
I welcome the continued interest in and engagement of the organisation referenced by the Deputy, the Irish Science Teachers Association, ISTA, with the ongoing subject development processes for chemistry, physics and biology. I am aware of the report on the draft specifications ISTA submitted as part of the recently concluded public consultation on those drafts, which was shared with my Department. The organisation has been directly involved in all stages of the development process over a number of years through the participation of its nominees, who are science teachers, in the three subject development groups established by the NCCA. The groups draw on a wide range of expertise, including that of subject teachers as well as other subject experts.
I recognise how important having the appropriate level of detail in a specification is for teachers. That is why I clearly requested the NCCA, in developing all new and revised subjects, to ensure that curriculums contain a higher level of detail than has sometimes been the case in the past. The NCCA has published a detailed research paper on the technical form of curriculum specifications that has informed its work. Ahead of the new specifications being introduced, comprehensive teacher professional learning supports will be provided by Oide, the integrated professional support service, during the next school year. The State Examinations Commission, SEC, is also committed to providing sample assessment materials to support the preparation of teachers.
The Deputy will be aware that a majority of leaving certificate subjects already have components beyond written examinations, with many of those other components weighted at, or, in some cases, above, 40%. In introducing additional components to all subjects, I am broadening the range of skills we can assess, recognising different types of learning and reducing the emphasis on terminal written examinations. The weighting will ensure that teaching and learning are not focused on a narrow set of competencies associated with written examinations and that students will be rewarded for developing and demonstrating different skills. For the new science curriculums, these components involve students completing a piece of work as evidence of their ability to conduct scientific research on a particular issue.
I thank the Minister for her reply. While my question did not directly relate to examination components, they are a specific part of the concerns that have been raised and on which I want to focus. In the course of any new development process, there really should be a moment where people pause and are big enough to ask whether they have got the process right or if there are things that need to be changed. ISTA's document states:
Of the 101 learning outcomes in the "contextual"... strands... a total of 69 learning outcomes (68.3%) are unclear. Due to this lack of clarity, it is impossible for teachers to ensure that their students achieve these learning outcomes - and impossible for students to know if they have achieved them.
The concerns raised are very specific. They include referring to "primary data" when it is not necessary to use that term and referring to "secondary data" when that term is not relevant to the actual question. There is also a lack of clarity around laboratory practical investigations, which are mandatory, and the number of such investigations that will be required to meet the learning outcomes.
I reiterate that the ISTA membership, by way of its nominees, all of whom are science teachers, was part of the subject development groups and, as such, was very much an integral part of the design of the curriculums and the framework. Notwithstanding that, a further step has been taken by the NCCA in terms of the consultation aspect. This is an appropriate measure to ensure everybody, including ISTA, has an opportunity to cast an eye over what is being proposed. Anybody, not just this particular organisation, who wants to lend a view on how things should or could be done differently may do so. Obtaining the wisdom of the collective is the purpose of the public consultation process. It is why the results of the consultation, including the material provided by this particular organisation, is being fed back to the NCCA, which will adjudicate it appropriately. There has been ongoing engagement by the NCCA with all the stakeholders, including teachers, on the subject development process. We will see in due course what the outcomes will be of the deliberations on the public consultation.
With the greatest of respect, ISTA did more than cast its eye over the draft proposals. It has produced a 212-page document that is incredibly detailed in places. The part I referred to is only to do with the actual physics content. The Minister mentioned the components aspect. Some numbers that caught my attention are that the research investigations will account for 40% of marks in fifth year, with 20 hours to be done in a laboratory and the entire course to be delivered over 180 hours. On the subject of laboratories, it is not just teachers or this particular organisation expressing concerns. Parents have referenced this point as well. We are running a very unclear line in terms of resources and the fair allocation of those resources to schools. This will put the students who are most disadvantaged at a further disadvantage. If the laboratory in a DEIS school or any other school is not of the same standard as the laboratories in other schools in the community or the same area, the pupils in that school will, simply due to finances, not be able to achieve the same outcomes as students in the schools that are better resourced.
I want to be clear regarding the allocation of resources. The Deputy referenced the use of laboratories. That specifically relates to the component of science in practice. It should be noted that what is currently set out regarding the science in practice investigations, some of which can, of course, take place in the laboratory, is not prescriptive in stating that they should solely be restricted to laboratory-based work. That is an important consideration.
The Department has been very clear that we will engage on an ongoing basis with schools to see how best to support them in the implementation of any or all aspects of senior cycle reform. I again point out that this consultation is an integral part of the process, prior to the final publication of the agreed specifications. It is an opportunity for organisations like ISTA to give their considered view. Those views will be taken into consideration by the NCCA in compiling the final specifications and their publication. That was the whole purpose of the public consultation. I have every confidence that it is working, given we have received such a broad-ranging document.
Public Sector Pay
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Question:55. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if her Department will support the introduction of a Dublin allowance for teachers to help to address the teacher retention crisis in the Dublin area. [16343/24]
I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, on her appointment to the Department of Education. Will the Department support the introduction of a Dublin allowance for teachers to help to address the crisis in teacher retention in the Dublin area?
While we are offering congratulations, I congratulate the Deputy on the birth of his second daughter, Sadhbh. I wish him and his partner, Nicola, well. As I said to him earlier, he is surrounded by women. He is blessed among women and it will be very good for him. I sincerely wish him well. It is wonderful to be welcoming a new baby girl.
The quality and commitment of Irish teachers is the bedrock of our education system and has been key to unlocking Ireland's potential as a knowledge economy. A range of measures are in place to ensure that teaching remains an attractive profession and that schools are supported in recruiting the staff they need. Pay and workplace reform measures for public servants have been governed by a framework of public service pay agreements for a number of years, with the new agreement in place until June 2026. The value of public pay deals to the Government and the taxpayer is in ensuring pay costs are managed in a sustainable and orderly way and in a climate of industrial peace. By and large, public pay agreements have delivered on these objectives over the past 12 years. The agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants, with new-entrant pay being gradually restored over the years. The previous agreement, Building Momentum, provided for increases of 8.5% to 9.5% over the entire agreement, with workers on lower pay receiving higher percentage increases.
The new public sector pay agreement provides for further baseline increases of 9.25% for more than 100,000 staff in the school sector as well as retired staff. In terms of teacher pay specifically, these increases will raise the pay of a teacher on the top point to around €85,000 per annum. The starting pay for a teacher will be approximately €46,000 per annum, which is almost €20,000 higher than would have been achieved in 2011. In addition, there have been other recent measures under Building Momentum to increase pay and allow new-entrant teachers to move up the pay scale more quickly.
The Government is committed to the delivery of quality public services. We will continue to approach public service pay in a balanced way that is reasonable and fair to both public servants and taxpayers. The Government acknowledges that the housing issue and the current price pressures in society present particular challenges and are a source of concern for all public service workers, including staff in the education sector.
I thank the Minister for her kind words. It is very much appreciated by my family, to whom education means the world, that the Minister for Education mentioned my daughter on the floor of the House. Her sister Anna is very excited.
On the matter at hand, the INTO has spoken at its recent conference about 2,000 long-term vacancies within the primary school sector, as the Minister knows. It predicted this last November. The reason I keep mentioning the potential of the Dublin allowance is that there has been pay weighting in London since 1920. In fact, in 2002 teachers in London went on strike for increased weighting. What I propose has been in the understanding of the education system in London for over 100 years and we need to have that understanding here as well because far too many schools are understaffed, particularly in Dublin. I went to one such primary school, in the west of the city. It is operating at 45% of its staff capacity. Therefore, we have to find mechanisms to retain and recruit teachers who will stay. It is effectively a housing issue but a Dublin allowance might be part of the solution.
Housing, led by my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy O'Brien, remains a key priority of the Government. The strategy Housing for All delivers on the programme for Government commitment to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system. A suite of measures, including cost-rental, affordable and social housing, is being provided for and significant progress has been made, but more needs to be done. That is acknowledged. More will be done.
I appreciate the Deputy's bona fides on the Dublin allowance for staff. Whatever is done for one sector within the public service would, in the interest of fairness, have to be done across all sectors. I previously pointed to the fact that the improvements in pay for staff are on a par with, if not greater than, those currently provided for through the London allowance, as the Deputy referred to it. I get the principle of what the Deputy is saying but believe his proposal could have ramifications across the entire public sector. Therefore, it is not as clear-cut as it appears.
The ramifications are that we have schools that are not being staffed and staffrooms that are struggling to keep schools operational. Circumstances are not the same across the country because housing and childcare in Dublin are much more expensive. Everything in Dublin is much more expensive. The cost of living is much more expensive. As has been recognised in London, such costs have a knock-on effect on the availability of staff to run basic public services. I suggest that teaching is the most important service that we provide to society, bearing in mind children's day-to-day activity and how they view themselves and their cohorts. If we cannot staff schools, it means an absolute crisis. This is an issue in Dublin particularly because of the high cost of living. The issue is that we will have circumstances in which schools will not be staffed and children will not be taught effectively, resulting in the discontinuation of the precious connection between children and their teachers. That will have ramifications in the future. If teachers cannot afford to live here, we and the Government have to address it.
I do not take away from the challenges the Deputy referred to. We have been cognisant of them. The Deputy will appreciate that in the recent budget we announced a €2,000 support bursary for the PME students who will compete in 2024. We also introduced 1,000 posts of responsibility, again to support teachers in their workplace. We provided for free upskilling courses in subjects that present a challenge. We have engaged with student teachers, more than 3,000 of whom have found routes to make themselves available to schools. We have also found pathways forward with retired teachers. There is an increase of more than 49% in the number of retired teachers making themselves available to provide additional supports in schools. We will do more and more in this field. I am not for one minute saying there is no merit to what the Deputy says about additional resources, having regard to the geography. However, the proposal, notwithstanding what the Deputy has said, would validate a cohort living in one area more than another. It would also validate one sector of the public sector more than another. The whole thing would have to be looked at in the round for the public sector.
School Accommodation
Sorca Clarke
Question:56. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education her plans to tackle the oversubscription of secondary schools across Ireland. [16256/24]
Could the Minister outline to the House her plans to tackle the oversubscription of secondary schools across the country?
I assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post-primary levels, including those with special educational needs, is an absolute priority for the Department and, indeed, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton.
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department's demographic projections utilise various data sources, such as current enrolment figures, child benefit records, census information, residential development data and migration patterns, among others. Projections are developed across 314 school planning areas and at a more granular settlement level in urban areas with higher residential construction activity and population growth.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area. It is important to note that enrolment pressure may not result from a lack of accommodation but may be driven by other factors. These can include the duplication of applications, whereby pupils will have applied for a place to a number of schools in their area, and school of choice, whereby pupils might not get a place in their preferred school although there will be places in others in the area. Some areas have single-sex schools, and while places may be available therein they may not be available to all pupils. There is also the question of the external draw, whereby pupils come from outside the local area. In this context, oversubscription of a school or schools is not necessarily representative of a deficit of school places.
Approximately 75,000 first-year students enrol in post-primary schools across the country every year, and in the vast majority of cases there is sufficient provision across the schools in their areas to meet the local school place needs. While total post-primary enrolments are expected to remain at a high level in the coming years, the demographic profile is such that first-year numbers have begun to decline in over two-thirds of school planning areas. Such a decline is expected across the majority of school planning areas in the coming years.
Since 2020, the Department has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 800 school building projects and with construction currently under way on approximately 300 other projects, including 31 new school buildings. The 300 projects in construction involve a total State investment of over €1.2 billion.
The question I have for the Minister is quite straightforward. She speaks of the demographic analyses of her Department to project enrolment but I do not believe the basis of the calculations is correct. It needs to be adjusted. The Minister spoke about child benefit. This will still be paid regardless of whether a child lives in Wexford and then moves to Sligo. Therefore, it does not serve as the basis for something that can stand up to very much scrutiny. The reason parents are duplicating applications is that they are not confident their child will get into the nearest school to them. This was recognised in the initial stages of the school transport review. The criterion was extended to include the second-nearest post-primary school. This has been recognised by the Government over the years.
Through the 300 projects the Minister mentioned, how much additional capacity will be delivered? How much of the funding put aside in the past two years was to build or repurpose existing accommodation, and what is the existing capacity that will be delivered under that?
There is a quite robust planning unit within the Department, specifically within the planning and building unit. It has a very comprehensive geographical information system, a system that relies on a variety of data, not just data on child benefit. It also relies on other information available, including CSO figures. There is very proactive engagement on the ground with local authorities, particularly those planning to have new housing developments come on stream. There is also direct engagement with school authorities and patron bodies. Therefore, there is a very full and robust view of the requirements, notwithstanding that they can vary from time to time owing to the fact that there can be exceptional circumstances in an area. We have seen this in the past while for a variety of reasons.
Over the past four years, more than €4.5 billion has been expended. There is a variety of projects, including additional accommodation, new builds, and modular accommodation if required in the short term. I am sure the House knows that most of the modular accommodation is very modern and as good as anything we would get with bricks and mortar.
I understand the financials that the Minister has issued and has spoken about, but I still do not hear a definitive number for what the increase in capacity will be. People, particularly those outside urban areas, are choosing to come to live in smaller towns and villages. They are most welcome to leave the bigger cities, set up in those towns and villages, make them their homes and work and raise their families there. Increasingly, we are seeing that these people are not able to get their children into local schools. That is a reflection of society. A significant number of people do not own their own homes; they rent instead. This means that they may choose, for whatever reason, or be forced into a position of needing to seek alternative accommodation, which has an impact on the towns and villages to which I refer and the enrolment capacity that is available in there.
The Minister mentioned duplicate enrolments. There is a CAO-style application system in Limerick. Instead of just highlighting the problem of duplicate enrolments, what does the Minister intend to do to reduce the impact of them?
As previously outlined, there are 314 school planning areas, or just school areas, if you like. The planning and building unit would say that in less than ten of those school areas are there challenges and difficulties for people. I want to say clearly that I do not for one minute underestimate the stress and challenge that presents for parents who are intent on and need to get their children into school and have to go through the process.
On duplication, I fully understand why a parent would apply to a number of different schools if they feel there is pressure in an area. There is an opportunity, and the Deputy is quite correct. We have seen it work in other areas where there is a sharing of information or a central application system. We have piloted this in various areas around the country. It works quite well, and there is an opportunity. Basically, what we are asking schools to do is share their information with the Department. That is what schools are doing. Each school has autonomy over its own admissions, but it is very helpful when schools provide information directly to the Department.
School Staff
Gary Gannon
Question:57. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education her current and future actions to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis in primary and secondary schools in the wake of Ireland’s annual teacher conferences which took place recently. [16490/24]
I ask the Minister the measures she is taking to reduce the teacher shortage crisis that we are experiencing in primary and secondary schools.
We are on a roll of congratulations, so I want to congratulate the Deputy on his recent marriage. I wish him well.
Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a key priority area of action for the Government. In budget 2024, a variety of commitments have been given, which includes an introduction, as I outlined previously, of a professional master of education incentive scheme for all newly qualified teachers graduating in 2024. Eligible teachers can receive an incentive payment of up to €2,000. There is expansion of upskilling programmes, free to teachers with no charge, aimed at increasing the number of qualified teachers in high-demand subjects and reducing out-of-field teaching.
New programmes include Irish, French, politics and society and computer science. These complement the existing upskilling programmes in maths, physics and Spanish. Trinity College Dublin will deliver a new Irish upskilling programme for post-primary teachers starting in late 2024, available at no cost to eligible teachers. There is provision of an additional 1,000 posts of responsibility in the school system for the 2024-25 school year, recognising the vital role of school leaders in enhancing educational outcomes by fostering a positive school environment and empowering educators and learners within their communities.
In addition to these recently introduced measures, as Minister, I have also worked with other stakeholders to introduce other additional measures, including approving 610 extra places on initial teacher education programmes for primary level, thereby ensuring flexibility in initial teacher education programmes to allow student teachers to support schools, with over 2,700 registered under route 5 with the Teaching Council of Ireland in 2023. Measures also include continuation of primary supply panels, encouraging retired teachers to make themselves available for substitute cover, with a 49% increase in that area, as I said earlier, reduction of restrictions on job-sharing for teachers and those on career breaks with regard to making themselves available as substitutes, and enabling post-primary teachers to provide up to 35 additional hours of substitute cover per term in their qualified subject. These measures contribute to the lowest ever teacher allocation ratio in primary schools, with a 10% reduction in the average student:teacher ratio between 2017 and 2023.
I thank the Minister for her kind words and subsequently the contribution that she made to the debate. I do not think we can step away from the fact that we have a crisis in our schools that is once again impacting the most vulnerable cohorts of students. If schools are short of teachers, it means that there is a shortage in special educational needs allocation. It means that students in DEIS schools who need much more intensive teaching are left without. This is an issue that has been going on for the last two and a half or three years. Any number of solutions have been suggested. I might run through some of them and we can talk them through. The Minister mentioned the €2,000 being given to people in the professional master of education-----
The PME.
The PME. From the conversations I have had with people who want to engage in the profession, that is just not enough. One of the prohibitive factors is the time it takes to do the PME. It is two years. In the North, it is only one year and costs substantially less. Two years means that a person is without an income. Permanent contracts, proper investment in special educational needs and reducing class sizes in order that people are teaching in an environment that is safe and constructive to learn and teach in, bringing in a substitute panel for secondary education, addressing the deplorable pay-----
The Deputy is way over time. He will get a chance to come back in.
I thank the Deputy. With regard to the PME, the €2,000 is a significant start and gesture.
It is.
I appreciate that we would all want it to be greater. It is a very good indication of what we had available to us that we would acknowledge the challenges that people face and that that bursary would be made available. On the support for special educational needs, 27% of the entire budget of the Department is spent on special education. That is as it should be. It is more than €2.7 billion. It is right and proper. We have more than 40,000 professionals working in that area. We have 3,000 special classes, two thirds of which were delivered under this Government. We have seven new special schools in place. The Deputy speaks about having the right facilities in which to work and the right environment in which to learn. All of them have that, notwithstanding the wider building provision in the context of the €1 billion available year on year over the past four years.
Regarding pay, I acknowledge that there were significant improvements under Building Momentum. The new pay agreement will mean that the rate of pay at the top of the scheme will be €85,000 and that the starting rate of pay for a new teacher when coming to a school will be €46,000.
We still have a scenario where a teacher will need to do three years in order to get a permanent contract. You cannot expect people to move job or to move into the teaching profession if they know there will be instability in their life for three years. Permanent contracts are going to be essential. The €2,000 package for the PME is very welcome. However, in Dublin and other places, that is just a little over one month's rent for most people. We really have to take the course duration down to a year.
I also want to talk about secondments and where these are taking people professionally, or any number of other innovations that have been applied. I understand the Minister has made some progress on the reduction of class sizes, but that is starting from a poor base. It also comes down to the fact that regardless of the public service agreement, the teaching profession is like nursing, since we have created an environment in this city and country where the money you are getting paid simply does not cover your rent and bills. Unless we address that, we will be here year in, year out.
On permanent contracts, there is a pathway forward. In fact, after two years, people are into permanent contracts, or what are called contracts of indefinite duration. There is a clear pathway.
On costs, I appreciate the €2,000 for the professional master of education is a start. The additional courses like upskilling courses are across a wide variety of different subject areas and are also free of charge. There is no cost to any teacher who would like to step forward.
In the context of career breaks, secondments or anything of that nature, people often choose for a variety of reasons, such as family reasons or illness, to take those measures. Regarding reduction of class size, over three budgets, we have reduced the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level to an historic low of 23:1. That was never before done over three consecutive budgets.
Equally, in special education we now have class sizes that are one teacher to six students and two SNAs in the classroom. This is all positive but it requires additional staff.
School Admissions
Sorca Clarke
Question:58. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education her plans to ensure that no child is left without an appropriate school place. [16257/24]
Will the Minister outline her plans to ensure that no child is left without an appropriate school place for the coming September?
It is an absolute priority of the Department and of mine to ensure that every child in the State has access to a school place that is appropriate to their needs. We are continually investing in existing and new schools to ensure that this is the case. Testament to this is that almost 400 new classes for children with special education were established in the 2023-24 school year and school building projects completed in 2023 delivered more than 7,000 additional mainstream post-primary school places.
Since 2020, the Department has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 800 school building projects. Construction is under way at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 31 new school buildings. These 300 projects at construction stage involve a total State investment of more than €1.2 billion. A variety of capital investments are at a variety of stages. They are swiftly moving forward so that year-on-year €1.2 billion to €1.4 billion has been expended.
There are more than 1 million learners in 4,000 primary and post-primary schools around the country. Growth in overall post-primary enrolments is projected to continue in many parts of the country. However, first year enrolments nationally are expected to have peaked in the current school year and will begin to decline. Nevertheless, due to strong residential construction and planning activity, we can expect to see increasing demand in particular towns and areas. This is fully factored into the Department's forward planning approach, which includes extensive engagement with local authorities in this regard.
In the area of special education, the National Council for Special Education has forecast continued significant growth in the requirement for special classes at post-primary level. The Department is working towards the provision of an average of four special classes in every post-primary school. While there can be enrolment pressures in some areas, it is important to note that sometimes this may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by a variety of other factors, as I discussed with Deputy Clarke earlier. In this respect, the Department continuously works directly with schools, management bodies and local authorities. Figures based on CSO data and all types of information feed into planning and building so we can properly forward plan.
Any parent with a child with special educational needs will say that when their child's need is met it comes as the result of a struggle, fight or battle of some degree. To date the Government has reacted to a series of crises rather than adequately planning out the future. Some very welcome changes were made in this regard but, despite the energy and effort at the time, we still see children with special educational needs who have not been offered a place for September. I have to question the effectiveness of the forward planning and the appropriateness of the data being used. When we look at the projected figures, the figures that come out are only as good as what has gone in. We need a much clearer line of information with regard to the Department, the principals, the building units and the delivery and, ultimately, appropriate places for all of these children. Without this, time and again we see children with special educational needs being put on reduced timetables. I would like to think that is only my experience but I have yet to see one of these children returned to a full timetable.
I thank Deputy Clarke. Specifically with regard to special education we have seen unprecedented development. I concede it was coming from a low base. We now have more than 3,000 special classes in the system, two thirds of which were delivered under the Government in the past four years. We also have seven new special schools delivered by the Government and four additional special schools will open in September. An incredible emphasis is being placed on special education. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, is newly into the area and I welcome her. I know she is fully committed to ensuring we progress this area.
The teacher allocation that goes into special education is a ratio of six students to one teacher and two SNAs. There is no question we are prepared to open additional classes. We are prepared to open new special schools where they are required. I absolutely accept it is very difficult at times for parents to navigate the system. For this reason we have invested an additional €13 million in the National Council for Special Education to provide additional SENOs who will work on a one-to-one basis with parents to navigate the system for them and make it that bit easier.
I thank the Minister. This is not just about navigating the system so that we do not have parents such as Sarah Dooley, about whom I have spoken to the Minister previously. She applied to 20 schools before her little boys were offered a place. This will mean a 90-minute round trip for those children to get to school in September. This is not inclusivity. They are literally excluded from their own community. The Department produced a document on projected enrolment which was recently updated. It specifically emphasised the estimate of enrolments of children with special educational needs as a percentage of total enrolments. It outlines that in 2023, to be confirmed, the figure for primary and post-primary is that 2.65% of children have special educational needs. This is estimated to increase to 4% by 2030. Specifically, one of the documents states the number of those who qualified under M1F2 in 2022 was 23,096 and that figure is expected to increase to 36,900 by 2030. What does the Minister plan to change on the figures she uses for assessment to ensure these 37,000 children will have a school place in 2030?
I want to be 100% clear. We are completely dedicated to ensuring that all children with additional needs will have the places that best meet their needs. It is my absolute vision that we will have a scenario in which children with additional needs can attend their nearest school. That is the objective. It is why 3,000 additional special educational classes are in place. As I have said previously, two thirds of them have been delivered by this Government. We will get to a point where a student attends their nearest school.
Part of my vision, and I am very clear about this, is that we will have a scenario whereby we will have a school campus with a mainstream school adjacent to a special school so there will be an opportunity to move over and back between the two. We are putting an enormous amount of effort and emphasis into ensuring we have appropriate provision. We provided 400 additional special classes in 2022-23. We will do likewise this year and the following year to ensure we will meet the needs of all of those who require either a special class or a place in a special school.