The provision for special school places for September is “sufficient,” an Oireachtas committee has heard.On Thursday, the Committee on Education and Youth met to discuss inclusive education, specifically allocation, roles, and training needs of special education teachers (SETs) and special needs assistants (SNAs).Helen Walsh, principal officer at the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) told the committee that “overall provision is there,” regarding special school places for September.However, she said the NCSE is “drilling still down into some hot spots”.She said they are aware of certain hot spots, mainly in Dublin and parts of Kildare.“We’re satisfied that there is sufficient provision,” she said, but added it doesn’t mean every parent will have their child in the school of their choice.She said she felt “confident” of the provision, adding they worked “early enough” to get the 584 special classes open that have been sanctioned for the 2026/2027 academic year.In his opening statement, John Kearney, chief executive of the NCSE said this figure has increased from the 2025/2026 academic year when 409 special classes were sanctioned.He also told the committee that the 45 schools who are to benefit from the Education Therapy Service (ETS) as announced by the Department of Education in September, will each have a “layer of support” by then.The service embeds occupational and speech-and-language therapists directly into schools to support students with special educational needs.He added recruitment for ETS is progressing and said there will be a “good, tentative start in place.”“Inclusive education keeps changing and evolving,” he said.In his opening statement, Kearney said the NCSE is supporting the establishment of five new special schools in Dublin, Monaghan, Tipperary and Cork and is also supporting the establishment of an additional four new special schools for this year. Angela Corcoran, principal officer at the Department of Education and Youth, said in her opening statement for 2026 and into 2027, there is a total number of more than 26,000 SNAs, noting a 63 per cent increase since 2020.She also said there will be around 21,500 SETs working in schools in September.Corcoran said this number may increase in the coming years.“The commitment is we will continue to provide a sufficient number of SNAs as are required to support children to attend and participate in school life.”She said “every effort” was made to publicise the new date that parents who are seeking school places for children with special educational needs for September 2027 must notify the NCSE by.Originally, parents had to notify the NCSE by October 1st but that was later brought forward to September 1st.She said this was “about providing certainty.”In response to a question about Neart, the national programme of mental health and wellbeing resources and training for post-primary schools that is delivered by Jigsaw, Ellen Guerin, assistant director for Policy at the National Educational Psychological Service, said she is not aware of plans to move it offline.She said 90 per cent of post primary schools have registered for access to Neart.“The information we have to date has been very encouraging,” adding that it provides a reach in supporting the wellbeing and mental health of young people at post-primary level that was “much needed”, she said.