Dáil debates
Thursday, 13 May 2021
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Special Educational Needs
11:50 am
Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source
I thank the Deputy for pointing that out. There is a special education review committee that deals with the resourcing of special classes with teachers and SNAs. Allocations are determined under those terms. When we talk about special classes, we know there should be two SNAs and one teacher per special class, if there are only six children in the class. That should be the number. If there is a difficulty with adhering to that, I suggest that the school in question should get in contact with either the NCSE or the Department. The NCSE's comprehensive review of the SNA scheme, published in May 2018, found that the scheme as currently configured worked well in meeting the needs of the children for whom it was originally designed. It is very important that every child who has special educational needs gets the support and resources he or she needs within a particular class. I ask the Deputy to bring the particular case he raised to my attention later.
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