Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second the motion. I welcome the Minister. Senator Mullen has stolen all our clothes, having given a comprehensive overview of the issues. I will not go over old ground but Fianna Fáil welcomes the publication of the policy advice paper on supporting students with special needs in schools by the NCSE. A number of issues arise. The paper found that such students are well supported in schools and are making good progress. I echo Senator Mullen's comment that the Minister has continued a proud tradition that began 15 years ago under the current Fianna Fáil leader when he was Minister for Education, which the Minister has duly acknowledged. I am happy to endorse the comments about the Minister's mandate since he took up office. He has protected and enhanced, where possible, special needs provision.

One of the key recommendations of the review is to ensure all children with special educational needs can fully access the extensive supports available within the school system. A total of €1.3 billion is spent supporting such students, which equates to the expenditure of four other Departments. The NCSE's recommendations are focused on refining where and how the supports are targeted to ensure all children with special educational needs have fair and equitable access to supports. As Senator Mullen said, some parents find it difficult to access a diagnosis of disability, which is needed to trigger additional teaching support for students with more complex disabilities. The NCSE has called for a new model to be developed for the allocation of additional teaching resources to mainstream schools, which is based on the profile need of each school with the need for a diagnosis of disability and it notes that the learning profile of pupils can vary from school to school. Some schools have a number of students with learning difficulties while others have fewer. The council recommends that any new system of allocating teaching resources should be targeted in line with the profile of educational need in each mainstream school rather than the current system of linking them to a particular category of disability, enrolment size or number of class teachers. I fully endorse that view. The Minister will be aware more than most that this provision has created enormous difficulties since it was introduced. It does not take account of the individual requirements of those with particular categories of disability.

Another recommendation is to commence the remaining sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 as resources permit. I am interested in the Minister's view on that. The council's report also recommended that a framework be developed to improve teachers' knowledge and expertise in supporting and educating students with special educational needs and that additional funding be provided to special schools and special classes to allow them to purchase and replace equipment. In the context of a budget of €1.3 billion it is interesting that this recommendation has been made. I thought that would have been addressed but there are gaps in this area. It is important that special schools can purchase and replace equipment because that forms a key part of the curriculum. Those of us who are parents of children with special needs will testify to that, having experienced the school system. Equipment is needed by them more than by mainstream students.

The INTO has not enthusiastically embraced this review saying that it could roll back 20 years of progress. I find it difficult that the organisation would take a hostile position, although its representatives say that while the current system is not perfect, it has ensured children have access to resource teaching in a timely fashion. They also said the report should be a wake-up call for parents of special needs children and advocacy groups because if its recommendations are implemented, bureaucracy will once again become the barrier to children accessing resources. The key element of the INTO's hostile response is centred very much on paperwork and bureaucracy. I am sure the Minister will have a view on this position. I reiterate that it is important that if change is implemented, it should take not account of class sizes or the size of the school. I endorse Senator Mullen's comments about Down's syndrome children. A decision about them is urgent. The question is whether the Government will decide for the upcoming school year to allocate specific resource teaching hours to those with Down's syndrome who are diagnosed as having mild intellectual disability. Perhaps the Minister will respond to that.

The pupil-teacher ratio is also an issue. There will be a significant increase in the number of children in primary school next September and while the Government is increasing the number of mainstream teachers by 450 to meet that demand, which I enthusiastically welcome - it is a great tribute to the Minister's tenacity around the Cabinet table in the current climate to have secured this increase from the Department of Finance - the Government will not increase the number of special needs assistants, SNAs, and resource teachers in the system to match that. There will have to be reductions somewhere along the line for those with special needs. I hope the Minister will address that aspect of the initiative.

Increasing the number of mainstream teachers means the pupil-teacher ratio will not have to increase in line with an increase in the number of additional children entering the system but because there will not be a consequent increase in the number of SNAs and resource teachers to match that, that could cause a logjam. Those who have the greatest need are suffering as a result of the way the Minister is approaching the finances of the Department. Will he ensure in the same way he is increasing the number of mainstream teachers, he will also ensure there will be no reduction or squeeze on the resources available to those with special needs entering school next September?

I welcome Senator Mullen's initiative. I compliment the Minister for being on top of his game on this issue. We all try to adopt the spirit of the Proclamation in cherishing all the children of the nation equally.