Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach. At the outset, I thank him and the committee for the invitation to be here today. I am accompanied, as the Cathaoirleach has already outlined, by the following officials from my Department, namely, Martina Mannion, assistant secretary for special education and inclusion; Brendan Doody, principal officer, special education section; and Martin McLoughlin, principal officer, special education section.

The topic before the committee today is aligning education with the UNCRPD and in particular, a focus on progress being made on aligning special education policy with the vision for inclusive education as articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. As Minister for Education, I am committed to making a difference for students who have additional needs as part of an inclusive education system. I know that this commitment is also shared by the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion in the Department of Education, Deputy Madigan.

It is important that I outline to the committee the Government’s ambition to develop an inclusive education system that meets the needs of all children regardless of disability or other disposition. At the outset, I wish to pay tribute to all our school staff at every level for the work they do. Their work and commitment ensures that children with special educational needs can attend school and participate in school life to the fullest possible extent.

As a Government, we fully recognise the importance of an inclusive and all-embracing education system. It is my firm belief that our education system should be adaptable and responsive to the needs of students. Being able to access education in an inclusive way is key to living life to its fullest. In doing so we are helping children and young people to grow and develop and to be as independent as possible.

As a Government, we continue to work to realise the goals of the convention and to deliver a truly inclusive education system. Having undertaken extensive consultations and research, the National Council For Special Education, NCSE, will provide policy advice on the future of special schools and special classes, taking into account the requirements of the UNCRPD.

While I await the NCSE policy advice, my Department’s policy remains very clear. We want to ensure that all children with special educational needs can be provided with an education appropriate to their needs. This means that children with special educational needs should be included, where possible and appropriate, in mainstream settings with the necessary additional teaching and care supports in place.

In circumstances where children with special educational needs require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places are provided for. We fully recognise that these more specialist supports and settings also have an important role to play.

I am happy to say that the vast majority of children with special educational needs are educated in mainstream classes. The benefits of mainstream education are known and recognised. We must continue to build a society with inclusion at its heart, where everyone is welcome and where full participation is the right of every person, no matter as to their background or need. Our schools are where we nurture and develop the future of our society. There should be no barriers to inclusion and no artificial segregation.

In the last few years, there has been a very significant increase in the number of children and young people being diagnosed with special educational needs, particularly in the area of autism. We have responded to that by providing additional supports in mainstream classes and additional special class and special school places necessary to meet the emerging needs of those children and young people.

The Department this year will spend over €2 billion, or over 25% of its total educational budget, on providing additional supports for children with special educational needs. This represents an increase of over 60% in total expenditure since 2011. This funding provides for 14,385 special education teachers in the mainstream school system in 2022, an increase of 620 on the previous year.

Provision has been made for an additional 1,165 special needs assistants, SNAs, in budget 2022, which will bring the number of SNAs to 19,169 by the end of 2022.

There were 2,118 special classes in place at the start of the 2021-22 school year. Additional provision for 383 additional special classes in 2022-23 will bring the total number of classes to 2,535 in the 2022-23 school year and will represent an increase of 339% since 2011, at which time 548 were provided.

Three new special schools have been opened in the last three years, two in Dublin, namely, Danu Community Special School and Our Lady of Hope School, Crumlin, and one in Cork, namely, Carrigaline Community Special School. Additional places continue to be provided to ensure that children with the most complex educational needs receive an education in line with their needs. Two further special schools will open in Dublin and Cork during the current school year.

We have worked hard to strengthen and streamline the planning systems between the Department and the NCSE to ensure that there are sufficient special education places available to meet needs throughout the country. Significant investment has been made to ensure that schools have the necessary accommodation and facilities to receive children and young people with disabilities. Professional development for teachers and school leaders is key to building capacity and confidence among teachers and their leaders and a truly inclusive culture and school environment. It is worth noting in particular that we have invested significantly in supporting school leadership in recent years. In fact, the extent of supports in that regard has never been greater. For example, in last year’s budget the Government provided administrative principal status for teaching principals in schools with two or more special classes.

It is also worth referring to a number of recent developments, the outcomes of which are likely to influence the way in which our system develops into the future. We are aware through policy advice from the NCSE that the current range of supports in schools, for example teaching and care on their own, do not fully meet the needs of some children with special educational needs, SEN, particularly children with complex needs in the areas of communication, speech and language, sensory impairments, self-regulation and positive behaviour skills. Under the school inclusion model which is currently at pilot stage, we aim to broaden the range of supports provided to include speech and language, occupational and behavioural supports in order that schools are better equipped to meet the needs of these children so they can achieve better life outcomes. The Department is working with the Departments of Health and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE to develop and strengthen more coherent structures to enable children and young people to access therapeutic assessments and supports. This work is being supported by the Department of the Taoiseach.

As regards the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act, this legislation has been in place for almost 20 years and it is timely that we should review it now. There has been significant change in Department policy and education provision has increased substantially in the intervening period. There has also been legislative change that impacts on education. This review will help ensure that our laws reflect current policy and international norms on provision and inclusion. It is envisaged that the full review will be completed by early 2023.

Regarding Irish Sign Language, ISL, the Irish Sign Language Act 2017 provides people whose main language is ISL with certain statutory entitlements. In recognition of this, earlier this year the Department launched a new scheme to provide ISL in-school support for students who are deaf and whose primary means of communication is ISL. We are creating a new specialised in-school support post for individual students in order that they can fully access education and participate in school life. We also will provide training and support for the school community, including teachers and special needs assistants to help with communication using Irish Sign Language. This is a positive development and the latest step in ensuring that we have an inclusive education system where everyone is supported to reach their full potential. The implementation of this Act in education will, I am confident, create a more inclusive school environment for these young people.

As regards transitions, the whole area of supporting the transition of young people with a disability right through the education system, with a particular focus on enabling young people to make informed life choices, is a priority. We are working with colleagues across a number of Departments to ensure that this remains a focus of the third action plan under the comprehensive employment strategy for persons with disabilities, which will cover the period from 2022 to 2024. The development of a demonstration transition programme has been agreed to address the transition needs of young people with disabilities in the two-year run up to their departure from school. Under the proposal, the pilot will take place on 20 project sites. There will be representation from a cross-section of schools to include students with disabilities in mainstream post-primary settings, located in special classes attached to mainstream and in special schools.

Separately, I announced on 15 November a further planned development in the transition space. The Department is partnering with an NGO with experience in the area of transitions to support the transition of post-primary level students with special educational needs to employment, training or further study in seven schools across the country. Under the proposal, a careers and employment facilitator will engage with students and their parents and collaborate with teachers in complementary activities such as mini-companies, work experiences and transition planning. This development is in the initiation phase and is planned to progress later this year.

My colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Rabbitte, recently announced that the HSE has commenced a process to reinstate health and social care supports which had previously existed in special schools. This involves the provision of an additional 136 whole-time equivalent, WTE, posts, which is on top of the 85 reinstated posts for special schools that were announced in 2021. This builds on the 290 posts funded in budget 2021 and budget 2022, which the HSE will also continue to recruit to the children’s disability network teams. This programme of work has already commenced and will be monitored closely for the remainder of 2022 with regular communication between relevant stakeholders at local and national level to ensure progress. Each one of the approved additional 136 WTE posts will deliver services on a 34-hour-week basis. The allocation to special schools will be aligned with the level of service and disciplines provided prior to the establishment of children’s disability network teams under the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People, PDS, programme.

We have come a long way in ensuring that children and young people with a special educational need can access an appropriate education. There is strong evidence to support this and I have provided some of this earlier. However, there are times when we experience difficulties and challenges for a smaller number of young people and the Department of Education is working intensely with the NCSE to address this. I am extremely grateful to schools for their co-operation and their leadership in this regard. The Department is fully committed to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This will be achieved by increased investment in education provision and supports; the implementation of evidence-informed advice; the provision of continuous professional development for school staff; the strengthening of initial teacher education; and through consultation with teachers, parents, children, young people, school communities and general society.