Results 1,301-1,320 of 9,435 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Not all neurodiverse children will need supports. It is absolutely the case that we have challenges. I see that as I travel all around the country.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: There are challenges throughout the country. The Senator can characterise it any way he likes. I see that there is huge anger.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I characterise it in the context of parents' anger and frustration. Yes, there is a crisis for families who cannot find a place for their children this coming school year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: This is what I am working through every single week with the NCSE. It is why I am holding weekly meetings to discuss capacity. The NCSE has told me there is capacity for children who have additional needs to find a special school place. They will get places in the coming school year. These are the children who are known to the council. I will be brutally honest in saying that the council...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Senator.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy for her questions. Teacher training is an issue of huge interest to me. I know that since September 2022, inclusive education has been a mandatory component in all initial teacher training programmes, aligning with the Céim standards for initial teacher education. I have been engaging with my colleague the Minister for higher education, Deputy O'Donovan, on teacher...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Special schools are more complex and that is why the rate is €60. We want all schools to do it and we do not want to concentrate just on special schools. The Deputy is correct. What we are trying to do, from the Department's point of view, is reach out to schools to encourage them to take it up. Because the patrons own the schools, however, we do not have the ability to force them...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I absolutely do not agree with that. One of the key barriers was pay for teachers and SNAs and we increased that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Deputy is right about early intervention and looking at the different milestones that children meet after they are born and along the way. That is a key part of this and it is within the community in primary care. These are the conversations we are having at the Cabinet committee. I note there is an enrolment bubble coming into second level. Enrolments in primary education will fall...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: They will work in mainstream schools with special classes and special schools.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Exactly. What I would like, through this budget, is to increase that. This is a model I know works. There is the nursing pilot as well, which Mr. Doody can talk about if the Deputy wants to hear about it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The NCSE will have these therapists and the schools will apply to the NCSE for them to come into the schools to work directly with the teachers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Sorry, it is €30 for mainstream.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The uptake across the country has increased. We put the resourcing into special schools with more complex needs but also, even in those mainstream schools, there was an increase in the rate of pay for teachers and SNAs. The funding is €40 million but it is a reconfiguration of the funding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The teachers and SNAs have had an increase to encourage them to do the summer programme. More have done so and the numbers have increased. I want to continue to review that to make sure more schools take on summer provision.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The occupational therapists will make recommendations to the schools around what assistive technology they use as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I look forward to visiting the Middletown centre. We had a North-South engagement with it. We are working with it. I will let Mr. Hanlon in on that, if he wants to speak to what we are doing in respect of the centre.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Regarding special class funding, there is a project management framework. We take the administration burden off schools that open up special classes. They are funded. There is enhanced capitation, a start-up grant, provision of furniture and a sensory space is also provided. I apologise to the Senator. I had his other questions there. I am not sure if I-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I completely agree around the teacher training. Even observing is not good enough. I would like to see, as a graded part of teacher training practice, part of the qualification in a special class or in a special school and, through continuous professional development, that teachers have access to these courses and we provide more courses. I outlined earlier what I am doing in the budget to...