Louth mother left ‘pulling out her hair’ due to lack of special school places

A mother in County Louth has been left “pulling out her hair” due to a lack of special school places, the Dáil has heard.

Louth Fine Gael TD Paula Butterly spoke about the issues facing one of her constituents during a recent debate on school admissions.

Deputy Butterly said: “I raise an issue on behalf of one of my constituents who is quite literally pulling out her hair because she has no idea where or if she will place her child in a special school next September.

“We know that parents of children with special needs face many challenges and one of them is the assessments.

“Through no fault of her own, last October she knew she was going to miss the deadline because her child has been on a waiting list for an assessment.

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“She made clear to the NCSE that this was going to be the case but only last week she received notice that there is no place for her child in September 2026.”

She continued by pleading with Minister of State Michael Moynihan to address the issue.

“As one can imagine, this has caused untold anxiety because she cannot wait and her child cannot wait for a year, staying at home or wondering where to place the child.

“The Minister of State knows how essential early intervention is to a child's progression and development. Children cannot afford to stay at home and stay still for a year without knowing.

“I would like to think this is just one exceptional case but unfortunately there has been a further case in my constituency. I believe this is going to be the case across the island.”

Deputy Butterly requested that the NCSE (National Council of Special Education) portal be reopened so that the woman can find a school place for her child.

“My ask is quite simple: can the portal be reopened temporarily to allow for these assessments to be put through, if available?

“We know that the waiting lists for assessments are to the detriment of the children, the parents and the family members in the communities. Can the portal be reopened?

“If not, can we give instructions to the NCSE to work on a case-by-case basis to find a suitable place for these children in September 2026?”

In response, Minister Moynihan thanked Deputy Butterly for the “genuineness of her question”.

He highlighted the work the Department of Education has done on providing additional special school spaces in the past year.

He cited his own experience at a school gate one time, where a child did not know where they would be going to secondary school.

Minister Moynihan said the deadline of October 1, 2025, was brought in so that the Department would have a better understanding of the demand for September of this year.

However, he acknowledged the difficulties faced by some parents in meeting that deadline.

He continued: “The Deputy asked if we could work on a case-by-case basis. That is what we are doing.

“We have a number of families that notified [us] after the October 1 deadline and we are working on that challenge. We will work with and support families.”

Minister Moynihan added that the Department is not looking at reopening the portal because it needs to get information sooner.

He concluded by requesting that Deputy Butterly privately share the specific details of the woman’s case with him.