The prevalence and types of special educational needs in Irish immersion primary schools in the Republic of Ireland

Little research exists in relation to the prevalence of special educational needs (SEN) in immersion education throughout the world. Parents are often dissuaded by educational professionals against this form of education and bilingualism for their child if they present with SEN. Nevertheless, some parents still choose to educate their child with SEN through a second language. This study investigated the prevalence and types of special educational needs in Irish immersion primary schools in the Republic of Ireland (RoI). The aim was to establish, (a) the prevalence rate of SEN in these schools for the academic school year 2017/2018, (b) the types of SEN in these schools and their frequency, and (c) how these SEN were distributed by class groupings. A stratified random sample (20%, N = 29) was selected from all Irish immersion primary schools in the RoI (N = 145). These schools completed an anonymous online questionnaire and the data gathered was analysed descriptively and statistically using SPSS. The key findings of the research were that the SEN of pupils in these schools has changed over the last decade.