Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator raising this important issue. I am aware that she regularly raises issues like this in her own constituency.I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan.

The education of children with special educational needs remains a key priority for the Government. We have been resolutely committed to protecting and, in some instances, increasing the level of investment made to support children with special educational needs at a time when there has been a requirement to make expenditure reductions across a range of areas. It is an area which has been prioritised above most others by the Government, despite the enormous pressures in all areas of public spending. This year alone over €1.37 billion or 15% of the Department's budget is being spent to provide supports to enable learners with special educational needs to access an education appropriate to their needs. This week alone the Minister announced the provision of an additional 610 SNAs to support children with special needs in schools.

The growth in provision for resource teaching support has been a major factor in ensuring the successful integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream education. More children than ever before are receiving resource teaching support in schools. The number of resource teaching posts available for allocation has increased by 27% since 2012, from 5,265 posts in 2012 to 6,705 in 2015-16. The allocation of resource teaching posts to schools will increase by over 9% for the coming school year. This is in excess of demographic increases in 2015 of approximately 1.8% at primary level and 1.2% at post-primary level.

The House will be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, is responsible for allocating resource teachers to schools to support children with special educational needs. It operates within the Department's criteria in allocating such support. All schools were asked to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching support for the 2015-16 school year by 18 March 2015. The NCSE continued to accept applications after this date in recognition of the fact that enrolments might not have been completed or where assessments had not been completed. It has published details of the resource teaching allocations which will be made to each individual school on its website. It will also have a second round allocation process to respond to late enrolments, or diagnosed disabilities emerging after the closing date for the first allocation round, to the start of the new school year.

The Department's Circular 05/2015 sets out arrangements for filling NCSE-approved resource teaching posts in primary schools. Permanent resource posts are allocated to schools with an allocation of 25 resource teaching hours. Many schools will receive an allocation of less than 25 resource hours. In such cases, they join neighbouring schools to form clusters with an allocation of 25 hours. In these circumstances a temporary post is appointed and based in one of the schools. The school referred to in the Senator's question has been approved for such a temporary shared post for the coming school year. Clustering arrangements operate successfully throughout the country. They ensure pupils can continue to access additional teaching supports in school and also that the additional teaching resources are utilised to best effect to maximise teaching and learning outcomes for children.

I again thank the Senator for raising this important matter.