Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased the Deputy has brought this matter to my attention because there seems to be some confusion. In order to respond to the issue raised, it is important to clarify the distinction between a sensory room, which serves a whole school, and a calming space within a classroom, which may be used by students within a specific classroom. I say this only for the record because I know the Deputy is well aware of it. A sensory room in a school can enhance and promote the health and well-being of the whole school, with a focus on both the culture and environment. It is a designated area within a school which can support a student’s sensory preferences and needs and provide students with the individualised sensory input they need to self-regulate, so they can be better prepared for learning and interacting with others. Funding of €7,000 is made available by the Department's loose furniture and equipment section for the provision of the start-up of a sensory room within a school. In order to be eligible for the grant, the school must demonstrate that it has a National Council for Special Education, NCSE, approved autism spectrum disorder, ASD, class and that there is a suitable room to house the sensory room. The sensory room must be a separate room from that of the ASD class and must have its own separate entry and exit. Only one sensory room grant is funded by the Department per school.

In addition to a sensory room, a school may have a calming space, the design of which is very different from a sensory room. The calming space should be located within or directly off the classroom base and is intended as a safe, quiet area that a pupil, under the supervision of a staff member, can access for a short period of time if they need some quiet time to themselves The design of the space must allow staff to observe pupils unobtrusively from the classroom. The calming space is designed to ensure that a student may choose to access it to take a break or to help with regulation. Calming activities are made available to the student depending on their individual needs and preferences and may include items such as stress balls, books, soft toys and-or noise-cancelling headphones. The calming space is to be designed as a quiet zone or alcove within the classroom without enclosing walls and not as a separate room. These spaces may involve an area of the classroom set up with cushions or a tent to limit sensory stimuli or a space with calming activities and materials which is visible to either a teacher or a special needs assistant.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I want to be very clear that there is a distinction between the two. The sensory room is a room open to the entire school. The quiet space is contained within a given classroom at a given time. It is supervised by the existing teacher and-or an SNA.

With regard to the specific case raised by the Deputy, I emphasise that the Department has not refused a grant to equip a sensory room. The school applied for funding in relation to a calming space - not a sensory room - within a classroom, which does not qualify for the sensory room start-up grant funding. It applied for funding for a calming space, not for a sensory room. A special educational needs classroom has also been approved for the school under the Department’s modular programme, which is currently in train. The Department provides start-up funding of €6,500 for each SEN classroom. This funding can be used by the school in question to purchase furniture and equipment for a calming space if it so wishes. In addition to this funding, the option remains open to the school to apply for a sensory room start-up grant if the school has not previously received such a grant and has a suitable space available. The application will need to include the drawings or whatever else is required. It is open to the school to make such an application.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I will be very clear; my Department has engaged with the school and has communicated the information I imparted to the Deputy to the principal of the school in question. We would be more than pleased to engage with the principal on an ongoing basis to satisfy the needs presented. However, let me be very clear that there is no ambiguity. I visit schools all of the time and this has never been raised with me before. Schools are very clear on the distinction between calming spaces, which are located within classroom settings, and sensory rooms. Sensory rooms are open to the entire school and therefore must be independent and distinct. Calming spaces are within the students' classroom. I am at a loss to understand where the difficulty arose here. Be that as it may, difficulties and misunderstandings can arise. The Department has proactively reached out to the school. We are very happy to work with it in whatever respect is required.