Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The National Council for Special Education identified that the current model for allocating resource teachers to schools is potentially inequitable because access to professional assessments is not always readily available to those who cannot afford to access them privately.

The council also advised that the current model leads to unnecessary labelling of children from a young age. For the first time, NEPS support is now available to every primary and second-level school in Ireland. NEPS does not maintain waiting lists for assessment but, in consultation with schools, prioritises children who have failed to make adequate progress despite an appropriate continuum of support being delivered for those children. The proposed new model, which is currently being piloted, will remove the formal requirement for such assessments. The pilot will test the new model and allow for any concerns to be fully addressed prior to its implementation. Significant guidance has been prepared and provided to the schools involved. During the pilot, all participating schools will complete an assessment questionnaire to gather information on their experiences. All participating schools attended a pilot information day on 15 September and a further information day took place on Friday last.

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