Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I wish the Minister a good afternoon. On the summer provision, she indicated that if a school in an area where there is a demand for summer provision is not providing that, an organisation other than a school can do so. Are supports being given to that organisation? It would be quite difficult if it is a charitable organisation, a parent's group or whatever. A point that some parents made is that the summer provision may be offered in some areas but that it is not being offered for the full four weeks in many cases. Is the Minister aware of that? There are also reduced hours over the four weeks and it is just that the full course is unfortunately not being offered.

I welcome what she said about teacher training and new teachers coming out. As she pointed out, 98% of students with additional educational needs are in mainstream schools. I know that when I was training there was no special education component; it was voluntary. The CPD is important and it should not be voluntary but compulsory for teachers who have been teaching for a longer time. Some teachers will make every effort to have an inclusive classroom and will differentiate the work but a small number do not do that. I want to ensure that everybody is educated on all aspects of disability and autism. The Minister referenced the Middletown Centre for Autism. It was established in 2007 and 16 years later, it is still a pilot programme in the South.

This is a pity, because it does absolutely brilliant work. It only deals with 12 students here in the South and 60 in the North, so it is five times the number, even though it is a much smaller geographical area. Could much more be done to ensure that is actually reviewed and expanded, because they offer great supports?

The Minister also referenced that there are to be comprehensive supports to assist schools in completing the educational component of the HSE assessment. Could the Minister expand on that? There was a nervousness among a lot of schools and unions over what was involved there, and they want to ensure that the supports are put in.

On inclusive education, I welcome the fact that the Minister said that the Department will be publishing a response to the NCSE's policy advice very soon. Will the social inclusion model be a big part of that? Is it time to look at combining the social inclusion model with the children's disability network teams, CDNTs, to reach out to as many pupils as possible? It is the same pool of staff which the Department is looking for. They are all therapists. There is a shortage, and I know there may be efforts to increase the number available. However, at the moment, we do not seem to have enough, and where that is piloted, and where the social inclusion model is working, I believe the demand for supports from the CDNT reduces. More integration and co-operation between disability and education is warranted there.

I am glad the Minister said that there is going to be an increase in the number of SENOs. I worked with SENOs who were excellent, who knew every student within their catchment area who had an additional need, and who would be in regular contact with families. Now I have parents coming to me asking who the SENO is. The SENO has not reached out to them and is not doing their job. I welcome that, because a lot more needs to be done there.