Schools continue to apply admission policies which discriminate against autistic children with the greatest level of need, despite interventions from the Department of Education and Youth reminding them that they are not allowed to do so, department inspectors have said.
Publishing their latest annual review of school admission policies as they relate to children with autism, the inspectorate said “it is disappointed that insufficient progress has been made over the past year”.
It added that some schools continue to publish admission policies containing provisions that risk restricting access for children who are entitled to specialist educational placements.
Responding to the findings, the Minister for Education called on every patron body “to immediately remove, without delay, any provision that could create a barrier to enrolment for an autistic child”.
The practices identified by the inspectors include provisions allowing the refusal of enrolment based on a prospective students’ potential behaviour; requirements for parents to provide information or undertake steps beyond those required of other applicants; and requirements that students demonstrate an ability to participate in mainstream classes before being considered for admission to a special class.
None of these requirements are allowed.
The Annual Review of Admission Policies: Special Classes for Autistic Students 2026 is based on a review of the published admission policies of 15 primary and 15 post-primary schools with special classes for autistic students, conducted in April 2026.
It found that half (15) of the published policies examined contained clauses that could, if implemented, prevent autistic children with the greatest level of need from accessing a place in a special class.
A similar examination carried out in 2024 and published last year found that almost all of the 30 school admission policies examined contained such clauses.
The 2024 sample of policies involved a different set of schools compared to this year’s review.
The department said that it “takes very seriously any admission policy that has the effect of restricting or discouraging access to specialist education placements”.
It is now writing to the boards of management of the 15 schools concerned requesting the immediate removal of the relevant clauses from their admission policies.
It will also write to the relevant school patron bodies.
The department said it was also considering “what further measures may be necessary to ensure compliance with admission requirements”.
“The finding that half of the schools in this sample have conditional clauses in their admission policies is particularly concerning and disappointing considering the letter from the minister to all patron bodies and the publication of an Information Note and a revised circular by the department giving schools clear direction on clauses that are not permitted,” Chief Inspector Yvonne Keating said.
Hildegarde Naughton said she was deeply disappointed that half of the schools in the review had potentially restrictive admission policies
Restrictive admission policies ‘unacceptable’, says minister
Since 2020, the number of special classes for autistic pupils has almost doubled.
In the 2024/2025 school year, there were almost 2,000 special classes for autistic pupils in primary schools and over 900 in post-primary schools.
Schools are required to implement admissions policies in accordance with legislation and the relevant departmental policy and circulars.
They are required to ensure that the principles of equality and the right of parents to send their children to a school of their choice are respected.
Schools that establish special classes, including special classes for autism, are required to provide for enrolment to those classes in their admissions policy.
Following the publication of last year’s report, the then Minister for Education and Youth wrote to all patron bodies of schools requesting that they review the admission policies of all their schools with special classes for autistic children, to ensure that they complied with relevant legislation and with the guidelines.
The department also issued an information note to schools that provided additional information to support compliance.
The note also listed the following clauses which it stated “must be removed from admission policies”.
They were:
References to a category of learning disability
A child or young person’s ability to participate in a mainstream class
Preventing students with a recommendation for placement in a special class or a special school from accessing a place
References to prospective students’ potential behaviour
Additional requests for reports and documentation beyond a diagnosis and professional reports confirming eligibility for the special class
Reference to admission to the special class being contingent on resources
However, the latest inspectorate review has found that many, if not all, of these clauses continue to be included in school enrolment policies.
Calling on schools to immediately review their admission policies, Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton said she was “deeply disappointed that, despite clear guidance and direct engagement from the department following last year’s review, that half of the schools examined have admission policies containing clauses that may unfairly restrict access to special class placements”.
“This is not acceptable,” the minister said.