James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Senator for raising the matter. I stress that enabling students with additional needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is an ongoing priority for the Government. The SET allocations provide additional teaching support for students with special educational needs enrolled in mainstream classes in primary and post-primary schools. Approximately 97% of all children, including those with special education needs, are educated in mainstream classes. There has been an increase in the number of full-time SET posts across the country, increasing the overall availability of resources. This is the highest number of SET teachers ever in our schools. There will be 14,700 SETs supporting mainstream classes in the 2024-25 school year, which is an increase of 1,000 since the end of the 2020-21 school year.

The allocations to schools issued on 6 February 2024 and the allocation model for 2024-25 distribute the total available number of SET posts in line with each school’s profile of need. The model makes an allocation on the basis of a number of inputs, including enrolment numbers. The SET allocation model is designed to distribute additional teaching resources across the entire school system. This is to ensure that additional teaching resources are available to support pupils with the greatest level of learning need. There is a defined level of resources available to distribute across the whole school system. It is important to understand that special education teacher resources are distributed to schools based on learning needs across the entire system.

The SET allocation for the 2024-25 school year for Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh was increased by 2.5 hours and its allocation now sits at 155 hours, which is in excess of six full-time teaching posts. The Department acknowledges that every school is different and that schools can experience unique circumstances that may be difficult to reflect in any standardised method. This is always a challenge when making allocations in respect of 4,000 schools. It is for this reason that the Department, working with the NCSE, has streamlined the review process for special education teachers. Schools that have any concerns can engage with the NCSE on their allocation.

The Department of Education can confirm that Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh did not submit an application for a review of its SET allocation to the NCSE. The National Council for Special Education is responsible for planning and co-ordinating school supports for children with special educational needs, including the allocation of SNA posts to individual schools. The NCSE has advised the Department that the special educational needs organiser for the school met with the school principal on 4 October and a review of the SNA allocation for the school was discussed at that meeting. However, an application for an SNA review has not yet been submitted to the NCSE by the school for its consideration. A school that believes it has insufficient resources to support the level of special education needs in its pupil cohort should make direct contact with the NCSE. When the NCSE completes its review, and if the NCSE recommends that additional resources should be provided, the Department of Education will immediately sanction the recommended increase.

I hope the path forward is clear from that response. There has been engagement between the SENO and the school and it appears an application will be the next step.