Education Authority announces progress but warns SEN placement system ‘not sustainable’

The Education Authority (EA) has announced a major update on its ongoing efforts to address pressures in Special Educational Needs (SEN) school placements across Northern Ireland, revealing that the number of unplaced children may fall to as few as 50 before the start of the new school year.

Despite creating over 5,000 additional SEN places in recent years—including more than 1,450 for September 2024 alone—demand continues to outstrip supply.

In preparation for September 2025, over 150 new specialist classes have already been established across 123 schools, providing for approximately 1,350 pupils.

A key challenge lies in the fact that only 26% of mainstream schools currently offer Specialist Provision—dedicated classes designed to meet the needs of children requiring more support than can be provided in a standard classroom.

“This shortfall means that, in many cases, children with SEN are denied the opportunity to attend their local schools, with their friends and siblings,” the EA stated. “This is not a sustainable position.”

Push for broader participation

To remedy the imbalance, the EA has been engaging with schools not yet offering Specialist Provision. In early June, the Education Minister personally wrote to 59 schools urging participation. While the EA followed up throughout the month, engagement remained lower than hoped.

“Unfortunately, many of these schools have still not engaged with EA in the way that we would want,” the statement read.

Despite this, some schools that had previously contributed to Specialist Provision have stepped forward again to help relieve pressure. The EA praised this commitment: “We are deeply grateful to those schools for clearly prioritising the needs of children over any logistical difficulties.”

Final placements remain challenging

Although the pressure on placements has significantly eased, the EA cautioned that securing the final spaces will be difficult. Some families may not receive confirmation of their child’s school placement until late August, and some children may have to travel further than usual to attend school.

“This solution is not without limitations and will require EA to provide significantly enhanced packages of support,” the Authority noted. “However, it eliminates the need to request that the Department consider initiating a formal process for schools.”

It also expressed concern that the burden continues to fall on the same group of cooperative schools, while others remain disengaged.

A call for systemic reform

The EA has reiterated its long-term ambition: to move toward a system where all schools provide Specialist Provision, ensuring a fairer and more inclusive educational landscape.

“The profile of our children is changing and our schools must, with support and training, also change,” the EA concluded. “The current approach is simply not sustainable.”

Support for families

For parents still awaiting confirmation, the EA has set up a SEN Central helpline on 028 9031 7777, operational weekdays from 10am to 12noon. Each family still awaiting placement has been assigned a Family Support Link Officer to provide personalised guidance and reassurance.

The Education Authority reaffirmed that “ensuring every child has appropriate educational support remains its highest priority.”