Current Research Projects

NCSE Research Current Research Projects

Current Research Projects

What are the Research Team currently working on?

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is currently engaged in several key research and pilot initiatives aimed at enhancing inclusive education in Ireland. These include the evaluation of the Comprehensive Employment Strategy (CES) Transition Pilot Programme, which supports young people with disabilities in their post-school transitions; a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) support model pilot involving 44 schools; and a comprehensive study examining the factors contributing to the increased demand for special class and special school placements. Each project is being independently evaluated to inform future policy and practice in special education

Current Research Projects

NCSE Externally Commissioned Research

Current Research Projects

Comprehensive Employment Strategy (CES) Transition Pilot Programme Evaluation

The CES Transitions is a pilot programme that supports the transitions of young people with disabilities with their post-school options. There are two cohorts involved in this pilot, the first commenced in the 2022/23 school year involving mainstream and special schools while the second cohort involves special schools only and commenced in the 2024/25 school year.

The NCSE commissioned RSM to evaluate this programme to establish the impact it is having. The evaluation for cohort one began in 2023 and continued into 2024 and the evaluation for cohort two began in April 2025.

Current Research Projects

Evaluation of the Universal Design for Learning Support Model

The NCSE commenced a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) support model on a pilot basis in September 2024. This pilot project involves up to 90 teachers across 44 schools (33 primary, 9 post-primary and 2 special) and will run over two academic years 2024-25 and 2025-26. The NCSE UDL support model pilot aims to support the learning, engagement and participation of students by building teacher capacity to plan for variability, reduce barriers and support resourceful, purposeful and goal orientated learners.

In October 2024 the NCSE commissioned a consortium of Edge Hill University and University College Cork to evaluate the NCSE UDL support model pilot. The aim of the evaluation is to establish what aspects are working; to identify possible improvements; and to determine and understand the impact of the UDL support model at the student, teacher, classroom and school levels.

Current Research Projects

Research exploring the factors behind the growth in demand for special school and special class places

The NCSE is conducting research to explore the factors that have led to the growth in demand for special class and special school places in Ireland in the past two decades.

The NCSE commissioned a consortium of Hibernia College and ICEP Europe to conduct this desk-based and empirical research. It includes a description of the policy landscape in Ireland over the last two decades, noting key policy and model changes, in terms of supports and provisions for students with special educational needs in mainstream and special education settings. This research will also collate and analyse data and trends on special class/special school placements in Ireland over the last two decades, noting prevalence data as available and compare with international data and trends. The empirical research will investigate perspectives from key stakeholders, including parents, teachers, students, advocacy groups, school leaders, SENOs, clinical professionals, and policymakers. This research is due for publication in early 2026

Current Research Projects

NCSE Internal Research

Current Research Projects

Evaluation of the NCSE Towards Inclusion Pilot Project

Towards Inclusion is a pilot programme with 20 schools exploring inclusive practices between local schools. There are 10 clusters of one mainstream and one special school involved in this pilot that commenced in the 2023/24 academic year. The projects the schools are undertaking are varied and school led for example, one cluster is conducting cause-and-effect science experiments; another is grouping social activities such as horticulture and cookery. The evaluation has begun and will be finalised in 2025.

Current Research Projects

Evaluation of the NCSE Practice Based Research Pilot Project

The NCSE’s Practice-Based Research Programme (PBR) supports practitioners within schools or clusters of schools to engage in research on topics relating to inclusion and special education. The programme has a number of aims: to build the research capacity and skills of practicing educators; to enhance inclusive and special education teaching and learning experiences for teachers and learners through exploring, reviewing, conducing or applying research/research evidence; build and enhance relationships between Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) and schools; and to develop a repository of practice-based research evidence and shared learning and experiences.

The NCSE has collaborated with a number of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to provide training to practitioners to support them in conducting or using research within their school(s). There are 5 HEI’s recruited, and 20 schools involved. The evaluation is ongoing as each school is at a different stage of their own research.