Special needs education: post-primary

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

Post-primary students with special educational needs may attend a mainstream post-primary school. They may be in mainstream classes with the support of a special education teacher and/or the care support of a special needs assistant or may be in a special class.

A school may apply for a grant to make the school accessible for a student with a disability, for example, to put in a ramp or accessible toilet accommodation. Information about this provision can be obtained from the Building Unit of the Department of Education and Youth – see 'How to apply' below.

The following support services are available for students with disabilities and special educational needs attending post-primary schools:

• Special education teacher
• Special needs assistants (SNAs)
• Equipment grants

Special education teachers

Special education teachers provide extra teaching assistance.

Schools are provided with the necessary resources in advance so that students with special educational needs can be enrolled into schools and access additional supports. This enables a school to be inclusive and put in place additional teaching support for students who need it.

Read more about the allocation of special education teachers in post-primary schools in Circular 0005/2025 (pdf).

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 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 and if necessary at a later point if you continue to have concerns with the Chairperson of your Board of Management.

The allocation of special education teachers are being provided on the basis that no child will be refused enrolment on the grounds that 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

Special needs assistants (SNAs) are allocated to schools to work with students who have specific care needs. They provide non-teaching care support. SNAs support students who have care needs resulting from a disability, behavioural difficulties or a significant medical issue.

You can read detailed information about the allocation of SNAs in post-primary schools in Circular 0032/2025 (pdf).

There are special schools throughout the country for students with more complex needs. These schools provide education for students from 4 to 18 years who have complex special education needs, where a mainstream school would not be in the student's best interests. Some special schools may provide for students in their area with a broader range of needs.

In addition, there are post-primary schools for visually impaired and hearing impaired students in Dublin. These schools cater for both day students and boarders. There are a small number of schools for students with physical disabilities, and a small number of special schools for students who have behavioural and emotional difficulties.

Students usually take the Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate examinations.

The schools make provision for students whose level of disability would make it very difficult for them to benefit from the Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate programmes. In some schools for students with mild learning disabilities, students may be offered the opportunity to take part in the Junior Cycle curriculum.

Students with specific disabilities may be exempt from part of the examination in a particular subject.

In such cases, the certificates awarded may note that the student has not sat an element of the examination. The annotation is made where a core area of a subject is not assessed, or where the mode of assessment used has the same effect.

For example, hearing impaired students may be exempt from the aural component of the examination. The certificate would note that all elements of the subject were examined except the aural element. Similarly, students with dyslexia may have spelling and grammar waivers in language subjects and their certificates would note this.

The Equality Tribunal ruled in 2006 that this annotation was contrary to the Equality Acts. On appeal, the Circuit Court found that the system of exemption and related notation is a reasonable accommodation in the context of the Equal Status legislation, and in June 2010 the High Court confirmed this finding. This decision has since been appealed to the Supreme Court.

There are arrangements in place for reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities sitting examinations.

The Disability Act 2005 provides for an Assessment of Need to identify your child's health needs and what health services are needed to meet these needs. It is an assessment carried out by the HSE for children or young people with a disability.

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

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

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

The scheme:

• Provides a pupil with an ISL Specialist Classroom Support (ISL-SCS) worker 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 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 HSE and NCSE are running a new pilot scheme to put nursing supports in place for children with complex healthcare needs to attend school. You can find out more about applying for the pilot scheme.

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 awaiting a suitable educational placement

Since 2022, the NCSE is overseeing a 2-year pilot project to help students aged 16 with intellectual disabilities and complex educational needs to plan for their future options when leaving school. The pilot runs in selected schools in Dublin and Galway.

The National Council for Special Education has published a guide to post school education and training (pdf) which provides information on the options available to school leavers with disabilities.

If your child has special educational needs you should talk to the school principal about what learning supports are available in the school. If you need advice about a post-primary school which could meet your child's needs you should contact your local Special Educational Needs Organiser - see 'Where to apply' below.

Schools should contact the Building Unit of the Department of Education and Youth for information about making schools accessible. Call the main Department telephone number for assistance - see 'Where to apply'.

Schools should contact the National Council for Special Education (NSCE) which administers and processes applications for special educational resources using its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) - see 'Where to apply'.

Contact your local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO).