Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Fianna Fáil Deputies for raising this issue relating to the education provision for children with special education needs. Their tone has not been lost on me in this afternoon's debate. This is a serious issue. Fianna Fáil wants this Chamber to reflect on and debate this important matter and we are on the same page when it comes to the parents and children who are not having their needs met and we are trying to work through that. Gabhaim buíochas leis An Teachta Thomas Byrne fá choinne an t-ábhar seo a ardú inniú agus fá choinne an díospóireacht. Táim sásta labhairt leis na Teachtaí fosta.

Every child is entitled to an education and the State has a role in vindicating that right. At local level, schools have a vital role in serving their communities by being open to enrolling children with special educational needs. In that regard, our schools have a strong track record of inclusiveness and of encouraging their students to achieve their potential. The motion comprises a mix of current issues, including the planning arrangements for adequate education provision for children with special needs; construction of special schools; provision of funding and training; consultation with stakeholders; communications and; inspection arrangements for special classes. The provision of education for children with special needs is an ongoing priority for Government. Currently, we spend 19% of the total education Vote, or €1.9 billion, on supporting children with special needs.

The numbers of special classes, special education teachers and SNAs are at unprecedented levels as is the number of children receiving support across the continuum, which includes mainstream classes, special classes and schools. Over the past two years alone, we have added 540 special education classes, which gives an indication of the intensity of demand at this level. An additional 1,050 specialised places have been provided this school year, with 167 new special classes. This brings the total number of special class places to in excess of 9,700, almost a trebling in provision since 2011. Some 125 special schools also provide specialist education for students with complex special educational needs. These schools now provide more than 8,000 places compared to 6,848 in 2011.

Our policy is informed by evidence-based advice provided by the independent National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which is an agency of my Department. Well established structures are in place to plan and co-ordinate special education provision throughout the country. Normally, special classes are established with the full co-operation of the schools in areas where they are required. The NCSE has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs. This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in areas with identified need. The council works with families and schools to ensure that advance planning is in place so that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements. The council also collaborates with other bodies, including the HSE, in terms of numbers of children accessing its early years disability services and Tusla's educational welfare service. Details of the location of special classes are published on its website.

There is legislative provision in place where schools refuse to make the necessary provision for children in their areas. The motion refers to section 37A of the Education Act 1998, which gives the Minister power to direct schools to make additional places available where this is required and where schools in an area refuse to make the necessary additional provision. This legislation provides for a series of transparent steps involving school boards of management and their patron bodies, which can lead to the issue of a binding direction on schools. This legislation was first invoked by the NCSE back in April when it formally advised me of the need for 88 new school places for children with special needs in the Dublin 15 area. Since then, we have worked hard with the schools and patron bodies concerned to ensure the new places came on stream quickly early in this school year.

We have made progress. A new special school has been opened under the patronage of Dublin and Dún Laoghaire education and training board, ETB, which will ultimately accommodate 40 students. Following the serving of notices under section 37A on 18 schools in the area, six schools have agreed to open special classes, each accommodating six students, bringing the total of classes opened to seven in the area for this school year. A further class is required and work is ongoing in this regard. I am grateful to the schools concerned for taking on this additional challenge and we will continue to work with them over the coming months. Reading between the lines in the communications coming from schools and school principals, there are issues we have to meet head on relating to fears about capacity and training, and we are working with them to ensure that goes hand in glove. The legislation is a necessary tool to vindicate a child's right to access a suitable education where all reasonable efforts to provide for the necessary places have failed. However, we will keep its operation under review to ensure that it is effective. I assure the House that the legislation will be activated where necessary and appropriate in any part of the country.

The motion references training for teachers and information for schools. The NCSE is responsible for advising and supporting schools on special needs. For example, in the case of schools opening special classes for the first time in the Dublin 15 area, the teachers in those classes will receive ten days' training. Information on funding, teaching resources and guidance for schools are published on the NCSE website. The NCSE has established structures for consulting with schools, parents and other stakeholders. On an ongoing basis, the council, through its national network of special educational needs officers, SENOs, engages with relevant stakeholders on the ground with regard to planning for future provision and engaging with the Department.

The Department's school building programme is focused on providing the additional school places needed to ensure that every child, including children with a special need, has a school place. This includes opening new schools and extending existing schools in areas where more school places are needed to meet the increasing number of children living in these areas. Some 44 new schools are planned to open in the between 2019 and 2022 in priority areas of need. The Department prioritises the delivery of special needs places and the inclusion of special needs provision is now standard in all new builds and major extension projects. The Department's inspectorate is committed to supporting continuous improvement in the provision for students with special education needs. The model of inspection at both primary and post-primary levels, which have been updated recently, have a clear focus on the quality of teaching and learning and on the use of resources allocated to schools to support children with special education needs.

Where a child does not have a suitable place available to him or her, home tuition is available to the family as an interim measure while efforts are made to secure a suitable placement.

As I stated at the outset, my Department's policy is evidence-based, with the primary objective of ensuring that each child with special needs is facilitated in accessing education that meets his or her need. We aim to make things better for every child and we are open to change and doing things differently. I again emphasise the importance of holding a debate in this House to help us work in a more efficient and productive way. In this regard, the NCSE is leading an innovative pilot programme involving 73 schools, which, if effective, will see the introduction of clinical supports into schools in collaboration with the HSE. I have also requested that the NCSE review the current policy on special placements with a view to ensuring that our provision is in line with international standards and best practice. I have no doubt that the work of the education committee, the contributions in this House and the ongoing vigilance relating to the NCSE review will help shape future direction as well.

Notwithstanding the unprecedented investment, I am aware that issues remain. In some parts of the country, increases in population and other issues have led to shortages in capacity in the school system. In these areas, some parents are experiencing difficulty securing a suitable place for their children. This will continue to be a major concern for me and my Department. I again thank the Deputies for raising these important matters. I receive ongoing communication through various channels about individual, difficult issues and it is important that we be honest about them. We are trying to build capacity at a fast rate, and have increased the number of SNAs by 51% since 2011, up to 16,000. However, we still need more SNAs and more classes. Approximately 30% of our 720 post-primary schools have at least one special class, so we need to continue to build on what we have been doing. Momentum is important, but it is also important to target resources in an efficient and correct way. I appreciate the Deputies' contributions, and the tone in which this debate has been presented because we have to work collectively to get this right.

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