Mr. Frank Hanlon:

We are currently reviewing that 2017 model and we will have a version of it to go out for September 2024. What we are trying to do is allocate resources to schools based on the need in that school. It is not a simple thing to do, obviously, but it is trying to best reflect what is the need of the school so that we can allocate the resources as best we can; that it does not have to be complex and that there does not have to be that conflict between boards of management, SENOs, parents, etc.; and that schools get what they require. We also want people to understand why they are getting the level of resources they are.

This is a model covering 4,000 schools. One of the things it cannot do is look at individual children. However, it will look at particular inputs and particular metrics that support why a school would need additional resources. We are working with the NCSE in terms of its review process. In other words, if a school thinks it needs more resources, we want that process to be as simple as possible. The NCSE has done a lot of stakeholder engagement and consulted with schools on this. One talks about bureaucracy. We want it to be as straightforward as possible for schools so that it is a system that works for them and is as quick as possible.

It is important we get these resources to schools and try to anticipate what the level of needs will be for the school year coming rather than looking at maybe what it has been previously. It is a matter of trying to get all the correct metrics in place to get that done as realistically as possible for that school so that it has what it needs for the following September based on the children who are coming into the school.