Alliance Education spokesperson Nick Mathison MLA has warned the Education Authority (EA) is on course for another Special Educational Needs (SEN) placement crisis in the 2026/27 school year unless capacity is urgently expanded.

He spoke after the Minister confirmed that the additional specialist provision secured so far for the next academic year will not be sufficient to meet projected demand for 2026.

"Earlier this year, EA officials told Committee that the end of October would be a critical juncture for ensuring that enough placements for leaners with SEN would be available for the start of the following school year," he said. Mr Mathison continued: "We are now weeks past this window and the most recent update from the minister has demonstrated that this is not the positive situation we were all hoping for."

He added: "Significant fanfare was associated with EA's engagement with teachers and school leaders in order to secure required provision, yet it seems that this has been unsuccessful and we face yet another year of placement crisis for our most vulnerable learners."

He warned: "We simply cannot accept that, once again, we will be moving to an emergency response to SEN placements. This minister is asking for support with his SEN Reform Agenda, yet year after year we see chaos for parents and pupils in accessing a school placement that appropriately meets their needs.

He concluded: "I would urge the minister to intervene urgently and to ensure that there is sufficient provision in the right places to meet the needs of children with Special Educational Needs."