Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible for determining the appropriate staffing levels in support of students with special educational needs in special schools, in accordance with the Department’s policies. Special school staffing allocations will continue to be reviewed and updated each year by the NCSE. Special schools are staffed on the basis of their actual student profiles and the disability category of each student. This is in recognition of the work of many special schools in adapting their designation and admitting students with a wide range of special educational needs in order to meet the needs of their local communities. The Department welcomes and supports this practice and special schools are encouraged to expand their admission policy to provide special school educational opportunities for students with the most complex needs. The Department and the NCSE see the strongest growth for additional special school placements from students with autism and complex learning needs, moderate general learning disability and severe to profound general learning disability. Special schools will continue to be staffed on the basis of each year’s current school enrolments and the disability category of each student. It is a matter for special schools to deploy their teaching staff in accordance with the needs of the student cohort and to ensure age-appropriate placement. A package of supports specific to special schools was secured in budget 2024. These targeted measures include the removal of the current 15 teacher threshold for the appointment of administrative deputy principals in special schools supporting children with the most complex special educational needs, so that all of these schools, rather than just a quarter, can benefit from having an administrative deputy principal. These posts will be instrumental in assisting principals with leadership and management functions and to support learning and parental and community engagement. This will make a real difference to staff and students in our special schools. An additional allocation of 100 teaching posts will be provided to all special schools supporting children with the most complex special educational needs. I am conscious that our special schools provide an education for children and young people aged between four and 18 and these posts will allow schools to deliver a greater range of the national curriculum subjects and to improve student progression and transition. Special schools will also benefit from the general increase in capitation rates which apply to all schools.

It is particularly important that special schools are supported to meet the needs of more students with complex needs in their catchment areas and to avoid the need for children and young people to have to travel a significant distance to another special school to access an education. The provision of therapy supports for children with disabilities and the children's disability network team service is the responsibility of the Department of children and the Health Service Executive. Any queries in this regard should be addressed directly to the Department of children and the HSE. Queries relating to primary care and mental health therapy services are the responsibility of the Department of Health.

The Department is acutely aware of the extent of the challenge for all schools, and special schools in particular, in meeting the needs of children with complex special educational needs. I assure the Senator that the Department is doing everything possible in its engagement with the HSE and the Departments of children and Health to ensure that therapeutic services are available to children who most need those services. As the Senator may know, we now have a special Cabinet committee to make sure we all work together on this matter. As I said, this commitment is voiced in the new Cabinet committee on children, education and disability, which includes all relevant Departments and Ministers. We are committed to working to improve the lives of children and young people, particularly those with a disability or special educational need. That allows us as Ministers and Ministers of State to focus our discussion on matters such as therapeutic supports. I hear the Senator loud and clear.