Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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30. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that will be available for children with additional needs under the new resource allocation model when these needs have not been captured in the allocations to schools. [16827/17]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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As the Minister knows, schools recently received notice of their special needs allocations under the new resource allocation model. There are significant concerns about how this will operate, particularly where the needs of specific children are not captured under the model or where those needs are subsequently identified after allocations have been made to schools. I remind the Minister that such allocations are fixed for two years. I ask him to outline the supports that will be available under the new model to children in the circumstances I have described.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The new model of allocation is designed to more accurately reflect the actual needs in individual schools. It captures a more comprehensive range of needs in schools, including complex needs, measured learning difficulties and social needs, than the previous model. An additional 900 posts will be delivered to reflect this change. This year, more than half of special needs teaching resources will be allocated to meet the requirements of children with complex needs. The new model no longer requires an assessment to be submitted, which means that children who need support can get that support immediately. Indeed, the allocations to the schools are front-loaded so that they are in a position to meet the needs of children without having to get detailed diagnostic tests in respect of them. One of the benefits of this approach is that each school will be able to use its professional judgment and expertise to determine how best to support its students. Schools will be supported by the guidance of the integrated support service in the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. The new model will allow for some additional provision in exceptional circumstances prior to the next review. The NCSE will support schools in managing their allocations in the first instance. If a school's enrolment of new pupils involves a substantially greater level of need than was previously the case, it will be able to seek assistance from the NCSE.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for his response. This is an issue of huge concern. I have been informed of many cases. Parents are not happy with this. They are worried about their children, many of whom have special needs and are already facing too many barriers in areas like speech therapy and occupational therapy. I am one of a number of Deputies who have raised this issue on the floor of this House. The new resource allocation model has the potential to create another insurmountable barrier for these parents.

I would like to give an example of what is happening. I have been made aware that a child with special educational needs was refused admission to a school because of a lack of resources. This is concrete evidence of what children and parents are facing in this day and age. I sent the details of another case, in respect of which my office has been contacted by the parent of two children with special needs, to the Minister last week and I hope some action will be taken on foot of that. One of the children in this case has autism and is transferring from an autism unit to a small rural mainstream school, which is good. If we truly believe in inclusion, such children should not be encountering barriers. Resources should be made available in such cases. None of the children to whom I refer, including the child who is transferring to a mainstream school, has been captured under the new resource model. Parents have very real concerns that schools will not be in a position to support their children. I ask the Minister to consider that such cases will arise under the new approach.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I would like to clarify that no school will lose out. No school will see a child with complex needs lose any of his or her support. No diagnostic tests are required by the parents described by the Deputy to get supports from schools for the learning needs of their children. As the allocations are front-loaded, the big financial barrier that was in the way of parents is being removed. The Deputy has raised the issue of schools' admission policies. We will look at such matters in the context of the new admissions process we are introducing, which will give the NCSE the power to require schools to accept children with special educational needs. Schools will not be allowed to refuse children in these circumstances. As I said in my initial reply, if a school's new enrolment exhibits a far greater level of special need than the level among the children who are already in the school, the NCSE will be able to examine that issue upon the demonstration by such a school of a substantial increase in the level of special need among the new cohort.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I am aware that no school will have its hours cut. My point is that there is no flexibility and there are no additional resources for children. The fact of the matter is that children will lose out because of the manner in which schools will have their resources fixed for two years under the new model. It is extremely worrying that some relevant features, such as the inclusion support service and the model for identification of future complex needs, have not yet been put in place. The Minister needs to take this on board. I know from the response to a parliamentary question I have received this morning that 519 schools have appealed their allocations under this model. This figure is evidence that there are concerns that need to be addressed. It is vital for us to get this right, especially given that the resources to be allocated to a school in two years' time will be based on its current profile. Things are changing quickly. The upcoming admissions legislation needs to ensure children with special educational needs can access their local schools. At the same time, we are introducing a model that fixes the resources given to schools to cater for special educational needs. Will the Minister advise the House of the circumstances in which schools will be provided with additional resource hours that are clearly needed? Does he intend to establish the inclusion support service? Will resource teachers be available to schools under this service?

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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We are providing 900 additional resource teachers this year at a cost of €54 million. We are putting extra money and extra staff into resource teaching in a way that will ensure no school loses out. Schools that require a high level of support for children with complex learning needs, as identified by these tests, will get more. None of the existing schools will get less. This approach is designed to see more resources going to the schools with the greatest levels of need. That is what we are doing here. We are removing the diagnostic tests. I know the Deputy was sympathetic to the view that the requirement for expensive diagnostic tests to be done before any resources could be allocated in respect of children with special needs was putting an obstacle in the way of the parents of such children. Under the new model, the school will be front-loaded with the resources from day one and will be able to use its own discretion. I have been to Marino College to see where the new model was piloted and I suggest the Deputy should do likewise. The adoption of this approach there created a much better and genuinely integrated service for children with special needs and enhanced the education of all children in the school. I believe this model has many positive aspects, including extra resources.