Some 55 children with special educational needs remain without a school place almost two months on from schools reopening.
The figures provided to the Irish Examiner by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) show 44 of these children are primary school age, while the remaining 11 are secondary school age.
However, these figures only account for those known to the NCSE.
Some 42 children impacted are living in Dublin while the remaining 13 are spread out across the country.
Despite this, a spokesperson for the NCSE said nationally, there are 1,031 special class places available at primary level and 717 at post-primary level.
“Local school issues, individual student circumstances and parental preference can account for some of the reasons students continue to seek placement,” they said.
The NCSE said some students may not possess the required paperwork for admission to certain special classes, such as those for autism, which require reports from a diagnosing professional.
Classes which are set up in rural areas also may not have sufficient numbers of local students in need.
In other circumstances, long travel distances involved and their impact on young students can account for classes not being filled to capacity, the NCSE said.
'Deeply concerned'
The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) said it was “deeply concerned” about the figures.
“As leaders in learning we’d like to emphasise the fundamental right every child in this country has to access quality education and we recognise the often unique challenges faced by the children affected, many of whom require specialised support and resources to assist them in achieving their full potential,” NAPD director Paul Crone said.
It said it was engaging with individual schools and patron bodies where a local issue is delaying placement.
A spokesperson said local NCSE regional teams were actively involved in the cases of students known to NCSE seeking placement with a view to a complete resolution of their placement challenges.
"The NCSE encourages any parent experiencing difficulty with placement to engage with our special education needs organisers with the aim of securing the most appropriate placement for their child," they said.
