Special needs education in primary schools

Children with special educational needs may be in ordinary classes in mainstream primary schools, or in special classes within these schools. They may get additional educational support from special education teachers, and care support from special needs assistants (SNAs).

Allocating special education teachers to schools

Each school gets a single allocation of special education teachers. The number of special education teachers allocated to a school is determined by the size of the school and its educational profile.

A school’s educational profile is broadly based on the number of students with complex special educational needs, the results of standardised tests and the social context of the school taking account of disadvantage and gender.

The arrangement recognises that all schools need an allocation for special needs support, but provides a graduated allocation which takes into account the actual level of need in each school.

Schools are provided with the necessary resources in advance so that children with special educational needs can be enrolled into schools and access the additional teaching supports they need.

You can find more information in the Department of Education and Youth’s Circular 0004/2025 (pdf).

Providing special education teachers to pupils

All schools have an allocation of special education teachers to give additional support to children who need it. Support is given based a child’s learning needs, rather than a diagnosis of a particular disability.

The additional teaching may be provided in the classroom or in small separate groups. Some pupils may need additional one-to-one teaching for a specified period.

Schools use the guidelines for primary schools supporting pupils with special educational needs (pdf) to help them identify pupils who need support, and to plan individualised learning programmes.

Parents or guardians do not have to source or pay for assessments for their child to get extra teaching support in school, and schools don’t have to wait for these assessments to give children the extra teaching support they need.

The Department of Education and Youth has information for parents and guardians on how your child can get additional teaching support in school (pdf).

If you have concerns about the support given to your child with special needs

If you have concerns with the level of support being given to your child, you should discuss this first with your child’s class teacher or special education teacher. You could also discuss these issues with the school principal. If you continue to have concerns, you can discuss with the Chairperson of your Board of Management.

The allocation of special education teachers is provided on the basis that no child will be refused enrolment on the grounds that the school does not have sufficient teaching resources to meet that child’s needs. If your child is refused enrolment to a school, you may appeal this decision to a Section 29 Appeal Committee.

Special needs assistants (SNAs) are allocated to schools to work with children who have specific care needs. They provide non-teaching care support.

SNAs support pupils who have care needs resulting from a disability, behavioural difficulties or a significant medical issue. This might include a significant impairment of physical or sensory function, or where their behaviour makes them a danger to themselves or other pupils.

A pupil's needs can vary. They may need an assistant for a few hours each week, for example, to help feed them or change them, or bring them to the toilet. Or, they may need a full-time assistant.

SNAs may work with more than one child and can also work on a part-time basis. Schools allocate SNAs to make sure students with the greatest need get the greatest level of support.

Read more about:

• Arrangements for the allocation of special needs assistants in mainstream schools for 2025-2026 (pdf)
• The recruitment and appointment of SNAs, the training and development of SNAs, and other resources in the information hub for SNAs on Gov.ie
• The Special Needs Assistants Scheme in Circular 0030/2014 (pdf).

The Home Tuition Scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who (for a number of reasons, such as chronic illness) are unable to attend school.

The scheme is also available to children with special educational needs who are waiting for a suitable educational placement.

You can read detailed information on the Home Tuition Scheme for 2025-2026 in Circular 0047/2025.

The Summer Programme (also called July Provision) provides funding for special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes to extend their education services during the summer holiday period. The funding may also cover transport for the children.

A home-based summer programme is available to certain children, if their school is not participating in the Summer Programme or cannot offer them a place.

The Irish Sign Language (ISL) scheme is for children who are Deaf, and:

• Attending a mainstream recognised primary school or post-primary school
• Whose primary means of communication and language is ISL.

The scheme:

• Provides a pupil with an ISL Specialist Classroom Support worker (ISL-SCS), to help them access the curriculum, develop their ISL, and take part in school life. In exceptional circumstances, one ISL-SCS will support 2 students in the same classroom if they both need support.
• Provides schools and staff with an ISL Advisor who can train and support them to communicate using ISL.

The ISL scheme is managed by the National Council for Special Education Needs (NCSE). It is in addition to the role of the special needs assistant (SNA) with ISL competency. Over time, it’s expected that the role of the SNA with ISL competency will be replaced by the ISL-SCS.

How to apply for the ISL scheme

The school applies for the ISL scheme on your child’s behalf.

You can read about how to qualify and apply for the ISL scheme in Circular 0072/2025 (pdf). The circular also has information about the qualification criteria for ISL-SCS workers.

The Visiting Teacher Service provides a teaching and support service to parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing children and children with visual impairment.

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) or Speech Sound Disorder (SSD)

Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) or Speech Sound Disorder (SSD), and who meet specific criteria, may be eligible for special classes in mainstream primary schools.

Eligible pupils can spend up to 2 years in the special class.

A school must have at least 5 eligible pupils to have one of these special classes, and a full-time teacher is assigned to the class, with a pupil-to-teacher ratio of 7:1. Schools get an enhanced capitation grant for each pupil enrolled in these classes.

The Health Service Executive funds the speech and language therapy services for the children attending these classes.

You can read about the eligibility criteria to enrol in special classes for pupils with DLD or SSD in Circular 0024/2025.

Autism

Children on the autistic spectrum can get special needs education in the same way as other children with special needs. There are also specific provisions for them.

There are a number of special classes for children with autism, which are attached to special and mainstream schools, as well as several special classes for children with Asperger’s Syndrome. There are early intervention classes (attached to some primary schools) for children of pre-school age who are on the autistic spectrum.

Home Tuition Scheme

The Home Tuition Scheme funds home programmes for pre-school children on the autistic spectrum who need early educational intervention. The grant aid is for:

• Up to 10 hours' home tuition a week for children aged 2½ to 3
• Up to 20 hours home tuition a week for children aged 3 and over.

You can read detailed information on the Home Tuition Grant Scheme for 2025-2026 in Circular 0047/2025.

Read the Government’s 2025 report about Special Classes for Autistic Pupils in Primary Schools (pdf).

Dyslexia

There are 4 special reading schools. There are also special reading classes in some mainstream primary schools, which support the needs of children with dyslexia. They have a reduced pupil-to-teacher ratio of 9:1 and an increased level of capitation grant.

Hearing impairment

There are 3 schools in Ireland for students with hearing impairment. There are also special classes in some mainstream schools. The special classes have a pupil to teacher ratio of 7:1. Schools can access enhanced funding and grant aid towards special equipment.

There is a weekly home tuition Irish Sign Language Support Scheme for deaf pre-school children and deaf school going pupils to provide training in Irish Sign Language (ISL) for these children, their siblings and parents.

Nursing supports to attend school

The HSE and the NCSE are running a new pilot scheme putting nursing supports in place for children with complex healthcare needs to attend school. You can find more about applying for the pilot scheme.

Assessment of education needs

An Assessment of Need is used to identify your child's health needs. The HSE carries out the assessment for children or young people with a disability.

When an Assessment of Need is in process, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) must nominate a person to carry out an assessment of education needs on behalf of the HSE. Find out more about the Assessment of Need for children or young people with a disability.

If your child has special educational needs, you should talk to the school principal about the type of education that suits their needs. You can also discuss with your local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) what learning supports or additional resources may be available.

Schools should apply to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) for special educational resources using the network of Special Educational Needs Organisers.

Application forms for special educational resources and a list of Special Educational Needs Organisers are available on the NCSE website.

Application forms for the Home Tuition Scheme are on the website of the Department of Education and Youth.

You apply for the home-based Summer Programme through your child's school.

You can get information about applying for the pilot nursing supports to attend school scheme.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) also has an information booklet for parents of children with special educational needs (pdf).