Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, for allocating special needs assistants to schools. The NCSE has advised all mainstream schools of their special needs assistant allocations for the current school year, taking into account the care needs of qualifying pupils attending the school. It is expected that before they request any review of their allocations, schools will be in a position to demonstrate they have made every effort to manage their allocation of special needs assistant posts to best effect. I understand that in the individual case referred to by the Deputy, the NCSE is engaging with the school concerned regarding a possible special needs assistant allocation for the child in question. The NCSE will take into account the efforts already being made to manage the pupil's behaviour and the existing special needs assistant allocation that has been made to the school.

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