Parents of new community special schools demand better staffing and therapy support

Parents of pupils at Carrigaline Community Special School and Belmayne Community Special School are set to meet TDs in Leinster House to demand immediate improvements to the state-funded community special schools model championed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin. The schools, opened in 2021 and 2025 respectively, were created quickly to fill a gap in provision for children with special educational needs, but families report staffing shortages, suspensions and the absence of full-time, in-school therapy teams.

Their demands include the deployment of multidisciplinary therapists on site, the creation of a HIQA-style inspection body within the Department of Education with enforceable recommendations, and stricter vetting to bar staff with exclusion records or Tusla findings. Niamh O’Grady, a parent, criticized the government for ignoring evidence that the model is not working for many children. The Department of Education highlighted that special-education enrolments have risen from 70,000 to 250,000 over the past decade and affirmed its commitment to expanding support and capacity. Recent inspections have focused on behavioural regulation and support in special schools.