Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the committee for the invitation to be here today. I am accompanied by Ms Martina Mannion, assistant secretary for special education and inclusion; Mr. Mark Bohan, principal officer, external staff relations; and Ms Andrina Donovan, assistant principal officer, special education section. The topic before the committee is the revised qualifications for special needs assistants.

I would like to acknowledge the important work and significant role of SNAs in schools in supporting some of the country’s most vulnerable children. The work and commitment of SNAs ensure that children with special educational needs, SEN, can attend school and participate in school life to the fullest possible extent.

As Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, I am committed to making a difference for students who have special educational needs as part of an inclusive education system. Children with SEN should be supported to access the education system. As a Government, we fully recognise the importance of an inclusive and all-embracing education system. Never is it more important than in the case of children with special educational needs. I fundamentally believe that our most vulnerable children in society must be prioritised.

Government policy on supporting children with special educational needs aims to ensure that all children with special needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. Our policy is to provide for inclusive education and to ensure the maximum possible integration of children with special needs into ordinary mainstream schools. Where pupils require more targeted interventions, special class or special school placements are also provided.

Working collaboratively with teachers and parents, SNAs ensure that children with special educational needs are educated alongside their peers in mainstream class settings, special classes and special schools. Being able to access education in an inclusive way is key to living life to its fullest. In doing so, we are helping these children to grow, develop and be as independent as possible. The work of an SNA with children with special educational needs is key in this regard and we have evidence of this from the National Council for Special Education’s, NCSE, comprehensive review, which was undertaken in 2018.

That review made a number of recommendations regarding SNAs, including referencing the training needs of SNAs. In this regard, the NCSE recommended that a new national training programme at level 5 of the national qualifications framework be developed for existing SNAs who do not have the requisite level of training and for new SNAs on appointment. The policy advice was considered by the Department. It was decided that priority should be given to the development of a training programme for SNAs who may not have had a recent opportunity to access a training programme tailored to their role.

A public procurement competition was held for the development and delivery of a new national training programme for SNAs. The contract was awarded, as the committee knows, to University College Dublin, UCD, school of education, in conjunction with the UCD school of nursing, midwifery and health systems. UCD has a strong reputation in the world of education and training. It brings with it a wealth of experience and research knowledge in the training and has very strong quality assurance arrangements for its programmes.

Feedback from programme participants is a key feature of this quality assurance process. This is a major educational initiative, which will enhance the knowledge, skills and expertise of SNAs who are crucial to the inclusion of students with additional care needs in the education system. The programme is fully funded by the Department and delivered at no cost to the SNA. The programme began in January 2021 recruiting the first cohort of 500 SNAs. A second cohort of approximately 900 SNAs is currently completing the programme with recruitment under way for a third cohort to begin in September 2022. That has a target recruitment of 1,000 SNAs.

This is the first national training programme for SNAs employed in schools and is tailored to their needs. As this is the first programme, it is appropriate to take the time to review outcomes which will inform the future approach to ongoing training and professional development of SNAs. Part of that consideration will include accreditation. Officials in my Department have recently received two reports of the programme from UCD, namely, a report of review on the SNA programme conducted by the teaching and learning committee in UCD school of education and an evaluation report. The reports are under review and will inform our consideration on accreditation.

On the minimum qualification, I am aware of Fórsa’s campaign to have the minimum essential qualification for SNAs reviewed. The Department has communicated to Fórsa that it is open to reviewing the position. However, the Department is of the view that the forthcoming review of the SNA contract proposed as part of the Building Momentum national pay agreement should be carried out and implemented first. There has been initial engagement between the Department and Fórsa on the matter and the issues of the scope and actual approach of the review are being considered by the Department.

This year, the Department of Education will spend over 25% of our total educational budget. By the end of the year, there will be 19,169 SNAs, which is an increase of 81%.

I do not want to go too far over my time so I will conclude. Providing support and training for SNAs is a major priority for me and the Department. I am happy to answer any questions.