Cork county is faring worst at early intervention classes

Cork has seen the biggest reduction in early intervention classes, for children who have special needs to access support before starting primary school nationally, over the last five years, new data has shown.

In Cork, there were 27 early intervention classes in 2020/21, but this has now decreased to 22 in 2024/2025, the last school year for which data is available.

A reply to a Sinn Féin parliamentary question revealed that Cork is one of six counties which has seen no increase or even a reduction in the number of classes in the last five years, and has seen the sharpest drop.

Cork TD and minister of state Michael Moynihan explained: “Early intervention classes are available in mainstream and special school settings for children aged three to five years old, with a diagnosis of autism. There is also a small number dedicated to children who are deaf/hard of hearing.

“These classes are intended to provide early support to children before they start school and can aid their transition to junior infants."

"When the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) identifies a need for an early intervention class, the class is sanctioned, and supports are provided by my department to ensure the school can accommodate the class. 

"Generally, these classes are resourced at a 6:1 student/teacher ratio and two special needs assistants (SNAs) are allocated to each class.”

Cork Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said: “To see the loss of five classes in four years is disgraceful and shows the Government’s lack of ambition toward addressing the crisis in special education.

“Early intervention classes are vital for many children with additional needs. These classes allow children to receive targeted support before they begin primary school to improve their developmental, social and academic outcomes.

“We can see first-hand the number of children who could use this support if additional classes existed, yet Cork’s population continues to rapidly increase along with the demand for schools and supports for children with additional needs.

“The programme for government outlines the commitment to providing early intervention services for children in a timely manner. The statistics show that many children are not getting this support in time or at all.”