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Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Principals warn 'catch-all' special schools will push pupils back into mainstream classes
Plans to develop 'catch-all' special schools will push students who have mild and general learning disabilities back to mainstream classes 'that have already failed them', principals have warned. The school leaders, who oversee 30 special schools in 19 counties, serving more than 3,000 students, say they face growing pressure from the Department of Education to change their schools' current designation to include children with 'complex needs'. The principals have warned that this broadening of criteria will result in a phasing-out of special school places for children with mild and general learning disabilities. The Department of Education told schools last week of new plans aimed at resolving long-standing issues with the application system for special education, which sees families struggling to find places each year. These issues, as previously highlighted by the Irish Examiner, include a lack of access to appropriate school places. The 30 special schools affected by the new criteria work with children who have mild and general learning disabilities, which typically means a child has an IQ between 50 and 69, as well as with students who are considered 'borderline'. The schools also work with autistic students, often making up more than 50% of the student body, and who have a dual diagnosis of mild and general learning disabilities and don't fit the typical autism class model. The schools offer the full primary curriculum, the Junior Cycle at Levels 2 and 3, QQI Level 3, and the Leaving Certificate Applied. However, the principals now fear their model of education is at risk, according to spokeswoman for the group, Debbie O'Neill, principal of Scoil Eoin in Crumlin. Instead of creating new special school places, the department's plan simply reallocates existing places. This pushes children with mild and general learning disabilities back into mainstream environments that have already failed them. 'This is not inclusive education. It is reactive, rushed, and deeply unfair," she said. The pressure on schools to change designations to cater for a wider cohort of disabilities has become 'very apparent' in recent years, particularly as the crisis in placements for autistic children took hold. 'They are calling them 'catch-all' special schools, which is the most horrendously disrespectful language to any child or parent with a disability, and they are looking for us to become these 'catch-all' special schools," Ms O'Neill said. 'Mild' schools redundant Within four years, the intention is that 'mild' schools would be 'redundant' and students would be back in mainstream classrooms. There would only be a specialised setting for those with the most complex needs, Ms O'Neill said. The recent circular concerned principals as the new language used around designation has been 'kept vague on purpose', she added. 'We recognise the urgent need to find school places for autistic children," she said. No child should be left without a school place, and no family should be left in limbo. We stand with those parents. We want those children to be supported. However, the apparent current strategy of 'repurposing mild and general learning disabilities schools" is not the answer, Ms O'Neill said. A spokesperson for the Department of Education said it is not the intention to exclude children who require a special school place from accessing certain special schools. However, it is not "appropriate" that children and young people have to pass special schools and travel long distances because "they don't meet the narrow criteria for admission to those special schools who cater for children with mild general learning disabilities", the spokesperson said. "A number of these special schools have already moved to broaden the profile of students they support, in response to the changing needs of students. The department and the National Council For Special Education will support other schools to do the same."
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
CAO 2025 calendar: Important dates for college applications
May 6th: The CAO change-of- mind facility opened, enabling applicants to amend, or list for the first time, their course choices. Candidates get a statement of application record online in the correspondence section of their CAO account, before the end of May, listing all details supplied by applicants to date. Applicants must inform the CAO immediately if they do not receive this record, or if there are any errors. June 4th: Leaving Certificate written examinations begin and will continue until late June. On the day of the final Leaving Cert written paper, applicants aged under 23 who sat the Hpat test in February receive their results to enable them to factor these marks into their final consideration of course choices before the July 1st CAO deadline. July 1st (5pm): Change of Mind closes. This is the final date for any amendments to course choices and order of preference on all CAO applications for entry to college. July 4th: The CAO makes about 6,000 offers to mature (over-23) applicants, and to applicants who accepted and then deferred college offers of places in 2024. These offers are made online only at and remain open for about a week. Mature and deferred applicants who may be away from home should ensure any offer in early July is dealt with, as offers lapse if not accepted within the specified time. READ MORE August 7th: Round 0 offers will be issued to graduate entry medicine applicants, additional mature applicants, deferred and Access applicants, and applicants presenting QQI FET/FETAC qualifications for consideration for entry to courses with a quota for applicants. August 22nd: T he State Examinations Commission (SEC) delivers 2025 Leaving Cert results to more than 730 second-level schools, and makes them available on from noon. A full analysis of the results will be provided in the supplement in The Irish Times. Immediately following the release of Leaving Cert results an application to view scripts can be made online only on the SEC Student Portal. August 27th: The CAO releases round one offers online at 2pm. Minimum points required for entry to each course will be available on the CAO website. The Irish Times will provide extensive online and print coverage for the following number of days. Leaving Cert students who are unhappy with a grade they received and wish to view their marked exam scripts may do so online shortly afterwards. There is no charge for viewing your marked exam scripts. Students wishing to appeal the result in one or more Leaving Cert subjects can apply online through the SEC Student Portal between these dates. September 2nd: Closing date for receipt of acceptance of CAO round one offers. Acceptances must be submitted by 3pm. September 8th: The CAO makes round two offers available to applicants online. The minimum points required for entry to each course are released on the CAO website on that date. September 10th: Closing date for receipt of acceptance of CAO round two offers. Shortly afterwards, results of Leaving Cert appeals released by the SEC. Final offers of places by the CAO will be made in the days following. NOTE: The arrival of a physical letter from the CAO in May outlining all details held by them relating to the applicant or an offer notice by post in July or August are now things of the past. All notices are sent directly to the applicant's account within the CAO website * The dates for entries marked with an asterisk have not yet been announced. Leaving Certificate students and all other CAO applicants are advised to check both the State Examinations Commission ( and websites for further updates.
Irish Examiner
19-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Wise choices in change of mind needed as CAO demand soars
WITH over 89,000 CAO applications made this year, it means that there is more competition for college places. Last year there were 83,369 first round offers made. 51,934 were Level 8 and 56% got offered their first preference. 83% got offered one of their top 3. For Level 6/7 applicants, 92% got offered their first choice at the top of their list, and 99% were offered one of their top 3. If the trend is repeated this year, a student who fills the Level 6/7 list with courses offering progression routes to the Level 8 degree qualification they want will take a slightly longer road, but will still get there, even without a Level 8 course offer in August. Collette Twomey, vice president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors sees the high number of CAO applications as a positive sign that more people are seeing higher education as an option that is of benefit to them. She also highlights that the high numbers and competition for places make it all the more important for students to be strategic and research all pathways to the qualification that they want. 'Check the National Tertiary Office and QQI courses that offer entry to degree programs. Also, feedback we're getting from the Technological Universities is to encourage students to complete the Level 6/7 list where relevant to the Level 8 list so that they can start at Level 7 and progress to Level 8.' The TU's are noticing that students lose out on getting the degree they want because they don't put a course in the Level 6/7 list where they could start and progress on to Level 8 later on. Finding the links can be done via the CAO website ( or ask your guidance counsellor for help. There is still time to research progression options and make changes to the CAO application using the Change of Mind Facility. Over 60% of CAO applicants will use the Change of Mind facility before the July 1st deadline. It is used to add, remove or change the order of course choices in the CAO application. There are simple guidelines around filling the course lists designed to avoid the problem of students being offered 'the wrong course.' This can occur when a student is offered their first preference but they put their dream course further down the list, or they did not meet the subject requirements for the course even though they got the points. Key advice List courses in order of preference only and fill both lists. Check that you have the subject requirements for the courses you apply for. Use the Level 6/7 list as a backup plan in case you are not offered the Level 8 course that you want. Ask your guidance counsellor for help with this. Check the Alert Lists on the CAO website listing new courses available and discontinued courses. Some alerts have been posted as recently as April 2025. At offers stage, you can only accept one course out of the two lists. If you accept a lower preference offer, you can still be offered a course higher on your list. If you are offered your top preference course, you will receive no other offers from that list. This is why the dream course should go at the top.
