Special education resources in Ireland are so stretched that some pupils are being turned away from school due to a lack of special education teachers. A total of 9 pupils were told this year that they will be unable to start school, with two of these being turned away for the second year in a row.

The six and seven year olds were sent home from the St. Gabriel's national school in the village of Bishopstown, Cork. Their parents are calling this situation a "total disgrace", given that St Gabriel's is a school which specifically caters to children with learning disabilities. What is worse is that the nine students who were rejected at the last minute had been promised places in the classroom in writing as late as this July.