Dáil debates

Tuesday, 24 November 2020

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Special Educational Needs

11:10 pm

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Tá an cheist seo ardaithe agam léi, agus le Airí Oideachais eile, roimhe seo. D'ardaigh mé í le déanaí leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Madigan. My specific part of this relates to Scoil Colm. I know the Minister has visited the site, as has the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and other Members of this House and the other House. They saw for themselves the empty school building in an educational campus in the heart of Dublin 12 near HSE facilities. I believe the HSE is about to put a disability service next door to this site. It is ideal in every single way and it also would help to address a major need that has been identified by the Department and parents. They are crying out for somewhere central when they are dropping off one child and another child then has to be put back into the car and moved to another location. That is if they are lucky enough to find a place for their child who has additional needs. There is an urgent need for this.

Few sites are available in Dublin. This is an educational space; it is an old school. However, it also has gardens, playing fields, yards and so on already in situ. It might cost money to fit it out because we are talking about an autism spectrum disorder-specific school rather than a unit.

I know there have been discussions with the Department. Can the Minister fill us in on whether they have gone well? The Department has been liaising with the various school patrons and the like.

11:20 pm

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for being here to take this Topical Issue matter. She will be aware of the burden falling on principals at the moment and of the additional pressures Covid has put on them right across the board, in primary schools, post-primary schools, special schools and so on. Consider those principals who are managing everything connected to Covid, managing the ordinary running of the school, managing the running of ASD units and also teaching a class or perhaps teaching more than one class.

There are 83 teaching principals in mainstream schools where there are special classes. Of these schools, 21 have two or more special classes. Those principals did not have to take on all the additional work in relation to that but they took the decision that their community needed these units and that they wanted to serve those needs. They deserve commendation for that but the fact is that these principals, in particular, are under inordinate pressure and that has implications for their schools.

I spoke to one teaching principal in a mainstream school just outside of Mallow in County Cork. They have two special classes and they communicated to me how demanding the role of a teaching principal is generally, while also managing these classes. On paper, and for the Department, this looks like a four-teacher school, but the reality is this principal manages a team of 18 staff members, including four teachers, two special education teachers, two ASD class teachers and six special needs assistants, SNAs, as well as whatever they have to do in terms of bus escorts. There is a fair bit of work in that, on top of managing the curriculum and the school and ensuring it all works. This has all become even more difficult.

The children who missed out most during lockdown were those with special needs. The burden on these schools is enormous and we need to do something about this. We need to relieve the pressure on these teachers.

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I thank both Deputies for raising these issues as it gives me an opportunity to outline the current position regarding provision for children with special educational needs and the supports in place for schools with special classes. Enabling children with special educational needs, including autism, to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for Government. Next year, more than 20% of the total educational budget, or €2 billion, will be invested in supporting children with special needs. As a result of the numbers of special education teachers, SNAs and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.

Special class provision in mainstream primary and post-primary schools is a central element of the continuum of education provision in place to support children with special educational needs. This continuum extends from full-time placement in mainstream classes and special classes through to full-time enrolment in special schools with a number of options in between.

The Department supports this continuum through a range of dedicated supports in line with the needs of the child. These supports include the provision of teachers, SNAs and psychological support from the National Educational Psychological Service. In addition, there are specialist supports provided by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, including extensive professional development programmes for principals and teachers and advice for schools, parents and families. The overall aim of the continuum is to ensure that every child is supported in the journey of realising his or her potential through education in an inclusive and caring school environment.

I am keenly aware of the huge contribution made by all principals, including teaching principals, in supporting this continuum. I acknowledge the work of school leaders who opened special classes in response to the needs of their community. I am aware too that Covid-19, as Deputy Ó Laoghaire outlined, has placed an additional strain on principals and our schools.

Apart from the supports I outlined earlier, there are a number of other supports provided by the Department. As part of the additional funding to schools, €10.2 million has been allocated specifically to support principals and deputy principals who undertake teaching duties in primary schools. This funding will provide each teaching principal with a minimum of one release day per week, and release days for deputy principals in those schools that have an existing administrative principal for this school year. More than 1,700 primary schools with teaching principals have benefitted from the increase in release days. Teaching principals in schools with special classes are allocated a further four release days, in addition to the 37 allocated to each school with a teaching principal. There are also arrangements in place for schools to cluster their principal release days into a full-time post which will assist teaching principals to more effectively plan their release days for the benefit of the school.

Notwithstanding the extent of this investment and the supports which have been put in place, I am also conscious that there are some parts of the country, including Dublin 12, where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regarding a shortage of school places. The NCSE has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. The NCSE is planning a further expansion of special class and special school places nationally, to meet identified needs. The process is ongoing.

It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and, where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.

As Minister, I have powers under section 37A of the Education Act to direct a school to provide additional places but this power is only used as a last resort where all reasonable efforts have failed.

Through better planning at both national and local level, it is my objective that specialist education places should come on stream to meet emerging demand on a timely basis. However, the active collaboration of school communities is essential in this regard. The legislation was used for the first time in 2019, in respect of the Dublin 15 area. Significant progress has been made in that area on foot of action taken under section 37. The legislative process is again under way this year in respect of south Dublin. While progress is being made, the NCSE is continuing its engagement with schools, patron bodies, parents and others to bring the required additional special class and special school placements on stream.

In terms of the provision of additional special school places in the area, I can confirm that sites such as Scoil Colm are currently being examined. The work will continue until every child has access to a suitable education. In the meantime, special educational needs organisers, SENOs, are available to support both families and schools who need help or advice.

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as an méid a dúirt sí, ach is trua nach bhfuil scéal níos fearr aici. It is a pity that there does not seem to be any progress, otherwise, the Minister would have taken the opportunity to announce or fill us in on some progress. All she said in relation to Scoil Colm was that it was being examined but I was told that in March, May and October. I do not expect a miracle overnight but has the examination gone beyond walking around the building? Has it looked at all the numbers in relation to children who will need such a school? I note the Minister said the NCSE has responsibility for co-ordinating it but she is the Minister and the one who has to dictate policy. There is a crying need for such a school in the Dublin 12 area so, hopefully, the next time I ask, she will have a better response.

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I appreciate what the Minister said but I hoped there might be something more positive. Perhaps in her response she might give an indication of that. I raise this issue in a spirit of trying to see if we can find a solution to it. It is not a huge cohort of schools but where an issue arises in a unit or in terms of the significant number of staff who are dependent on the principal, it is usually the mainstream class, which the principal teaches, that loses out on account of this. Indeed, the whole school loses out. Extraordinary work is being done but principals cannot continue to perform the miracle of loaves and fishes with the limited number of hours and all the different responsibilities they have.

The group of teaching principals I have been engaging with put forward proposals. The sums of money we are talking about are very small. Some €3 million or € 4 million would resolve this and make them administrative principals. Will the Minister commit to ensuring that or, at the very least, exploring whether principals teaching in small schools can be made administrative principals? It is a reasonable ask. Will she meet with the group of principals in question?

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I thank both Deputies again for raising these issues and giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that my Department is committed to ensuring all children can access an education suitable to their needs.

I am conscious of the points Deputy Ó Laoghaire raised. We have gone a step forward in the recent budget, in particular in relation to the measures we put in place as a consequence of Covid-19. I appreciate there is work still remaining but I am very conscious of it, and I say that unequivocally to the Deputy. The Department will continue to support principals in schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education.

Some €2 billion, or 20%, of next year's total education budget, will be spent on making additional provision for children with special educational needs. This is to be welcomed and is richly deserved. It means that the number of special education teachers, special needs assistants, special classes and special school places has increased significantly. This will enable children with special educational needs to continue being a priority for the Government.

The Deputy will be aware that I am familiar with the Scoil Choilm case. I have engaged with representatives on it and will expedite it as quickly as I can.