Finglas school's special classes stalled by 'red tape' as parents demand Minister meeting
Finglas parents are demanding an urgent meeting with the Minister for Education within one week after promised special classes have been delayed until 2027.
Parents of children enrolled in two new special classes at Finglas Parochial National School are speaking out against the ongoing failures to deliver the classes that were due to begin in September 2025. A meeting convened by parents and attended by staff and representatives on Wednesday revealed that the delay was a result of appropriate documentation having not been submitted.
The classes were sanctioned the day before Equality in Education held sleepouts at the Department of Education , protesting the lack of appropriate school places for children with additional needs. However, due to planning delays beyond the control of the school, the required buildings have not been delivered.
In the meantime, children have been accommodated in a local community hall on a reduced-hours basis, receiving just two hours of education per day. The intake has been split into two groups, with one group attending for two hours in the morning and the other attending for two hours in the afternoon.
“At the meeting, it emerged that the project has stalled because the project management company responsible for the build has not submitted the additional detail requested by Dublin City Council planners. As a result, planning permission cannot be granted and the project cannot move forward,” a statement from People Before Profit outlined.
Parents shared their distress and the impact this ongoing delay is having on their families. Paul Lark, parent of six year old Abbie said: “I am honestly ashamed of our government that they can hide behind the fact that they are opening up so many ASD classrooms when in reality they are just throwing soundbites around because these classrooms are not materialising.”
Marie Conway said she turned down a full time place in Pals Preschool for her five year old daughter Rosie “because I was offered a place in Finglas Parochial.” “This is the first professional help my little girl has received, she is five. If this school is not complete in September my biggest fear is Rosie will regress, it’s not good enough. Rosie and all children in her class deserve full school days in the environment most suited to their needs”
Mother of six year old Logan, Leanne Roche said “it’s deeply worrying and upsetting not knowing when Logan will finally have access to a classroom and a full-time school place like other children his age.” “This uncertainty creates a constant sense of concern, as every day without a structured learning environment feels like a missed opportunity for his development, social growth, and overall wellbeing,” she said.
“The lack of clear timelines or assurances makes it incredibly difficult to plan ahead or feel confident about his future, leaving a lingering anxiety that he is not being given the same chances as other children.”
Gillian Fitzgerald said the reason she took the school place for her seven year old child Luke was because his needs couldn’t be met in a full time mainstream class. As his fourth school, she is worried that he will now regress from missing out on so much education. “It's devastating to think your child may fall through the cracks due to what appears to be red tape. We want what every parent wants and what every child deserves, a safe place in a classroom suited to their needs.”
Parents are now calling on Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton to meet with them, alongside representatives from the Department of Education Planning and Building Unit (PBU), the NCSE, and the project management company responsible for delivery.
Parents have indicated that, if no meeting takes place, they are prepared to escalate their campaign through protest action. The NCSE also indicated that, in the event the classes are not delivered by September, it would support the provision of home tuition in addition to the current reduced timetable arrangement in a community hall.
This was firmly rejected by parents. Families pointed to the difficulty of securing home tuition, the unsuitability of the home environment for education, and the clear need for children to access full-time schooling in an appropriate setting.
Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Conor Reddy, co-founder of Equality in Education Dublin North-West, said the situation reflects a broader systemic failure. “The buck stops with the Minister and the Department. Classes should not be sanctioned without a guarantee that they will be delivered. It is wrong to raise parents’ hopes and then leave them in this situation,” he said.
“The Department must take direct responsibility for delivering school building projects. Schools are not set up to manage construction or navigate planning processes. Their role is to educate children, not to act as developers.”
The group confirmed that they will continue to build pressure in the coming days, with a clear demand that the classes be delivered this year, not delayed until 2027.
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