Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 903: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science if she will publish a copy of the review conducted by the National Council for Special Education into the allocation of special needs assistants in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14859/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has published its Report on the Review of special needs assistant (SNA) Allocation to Schools April 2009 – March 2010 on its website www.ncse.ie. A copy is set out below for the Deputy's information. A small number of schools remain to be reviewed and the NCSE has indicated that these will be reviewed in April. A final breakdown of the outcome of the review will be made available at the end of April.

I wish to confirm for the Deputy that my Department is very supportive of the SNA scheme. It has been a key factor in both ensuring the successful integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream education and providing support to pupils enrolled in special schools and special classes. The SNA scheme will continue to be supported.

I want to take this opportunity to state that the NCSE will continue to support schools, parents, children and teachers and resources will continue to be allocated to schools to meet children's needs in line with my Department's policy.

Report on NCSE Review of SNA Allocation to Schools

April 2009 – March 2010

1. Context

On 9 February 2009, the Secretary-General of the Department of Education &

Science (DES) wrote to the Chairperson of the NCSE, Mr Sydney Blain, in relation to

the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. In her letter, she stated

that an initial review of a number of schools, as part of the Department's SNA Value

for Money and Policy Analysis Review had indicated that there were instances where

the work being carried out by the SNAs did not reflect the basis for the allocation of

the post and where the level of SNA resources in some schools was greater than the

proper application of the criteria would allow. In this context, the NCSE was

requested to arrange for its Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) to further

review the SNA allocation in all schools with a view to ensuring that the criteria set

out in the relevant circulars are properly met. The key circular, which sets out the care

needs, which can be supported in a school setting, is DES Circular 07/02.

Following a discussion at a meeting of the Council on 11 February 2009, the Council

agreed to arrange for SENOs to conduct such reviews and requested that the Boards

of Management of each school be informed of the review by the Department.

Accordingly DES Circular SP ED 0009/2009 issued to all schools in March 2009,

informing them of the review.

The commencement of the review process at this time meant that the NCSE was

effectively conducting a review of SNA resources currently engaged in schools in the

2008/09 academic year in conjunction with the resource allocation process for new

enrolments in the 2009/10 academic year, during which over 12,000 applications for

teaching and SNA supports would be received. In effect the review encompassed a

review of current SNA resources together with the processing of those applications

for additional SNA resources.

2. NCSE Process for the Review of Allocation of SNA Supports to Schools

In general, the process attached to the review built on the established processes

attached to the allocation of SNA supports to schools. In mainstream primary and

post-primary schools, the allocations process was well embedded and schools were

familiar with the overall approach. However, given the scale of the review, it was

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agreed that there would be a greater capacity for parents to be involved in the review

process with the SENO, either by phone or at meetings convened through the school.

In the case of special schools which cater for children aged between 4 and up to 18

years of age, the allocations process was less developed, primarily because these

schools were established to provide exclusively for children with special educational

needs (SEN). As the total number of children enrolled in these schools rarely changed

to any great degree, the question of the need to apply to the SENO for additional

resources did not always arise.

2.1 Mainstream Primary and Post-Primary Schools

Since January 2005, the responsibility for the allocation of SNAs to schools was

transferred from the DES to the NCSE.

Each year the changes in the level of SNA support to schools is determined by

The level of support required for children enrolling in the school or children

currently enrolled who may now have identified significant care needs

The level of support freed up as a result of children with sanctioned SNA

support leaving the school

The level of support freed up as a result of the diminishing care needs of some

children with sanctioned SNA support still enrolled in the school.

In some cases access to SNA was adjusted from Full Time access to Part Time access

or removed entirely because of the improvement in the development of independent

living skills of the child. However this was viewed by some schools and parents as a

reduction in the level of support provided to the child and not as a positive result in

the recognition of diminishing care needs or the development of independent living

skills.

In deciding the level of SNA support to be allocated to the school, the SENO would

visit the school and examine the professional reports for each child with special

educational needs, which have specified the care needs arising from the disability,

together with the frequency and extent of the care needs as they arise in the school

setting. This would enable the SENO to decide if the care needs described are eligible

for SNA support under the provisions of DES Circular 07/02 and if the support

required by the child can be met from within the existing school SNA resources or

whether additional supports are required by the school. For example, a child whose

care needs arise from behavioural issues, may be supported by an SNA who might

also meet the care needs of a child who requires assistance with toileting.

The process would also permit the SENO to discuss with the Principal, teachers and

SNA the manner in which the care needs of the child arise in the school and also the

records the school has maintained e.g. incidence reports. Parents would also be in a

position to contribute to this process, as appropriate.

Every school was requested to inform parents that the review was commencing and to

invite them to contribute, should they wish, either by phone contact or by appointment

during the review. In this regard, many parents participated in the review process.

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Finally the SENO would observe the student in the classroom and schoolyard settings,

as appropriate, in order to assist in the decision making process. In some schools, the

view was taken that this stage of the process constituted the entirety of the SNA

allocations process and statements such as "the SENO only observed the child for 20

minutes and made their decision" were articulated during the course of the review. In

this context, it is important to note that this stage of the process is designed to

underpin statements that are present in professional reports or statements made by

school staff and does not in itself constitute the entire decision making process.

The outcome of the process enabled the SENO to determine to what extent a child

with special educational needs, who also has identified care needs, may require access

to SNA support on an individual basis or a shared basis, depending on the frequency

and extent of the care needs. In this regard, it is important to note that the SNA is

always working under the direction of the teacher in the class.

2.2 Special Schools

The review of special schools required the NCSE to take into account a number of

factors, which did not apply in the mainstream sector, primarily the fact that all

children enrolled would have special educational needs. Special schools are allocated

SNA resources on a class ratio basis (e.g. two classes of 8 children with a Mod GLD

would be allocated one SNA between them). In many of these schools, the number of

pupils enrolled might remain static as the number of new entrants would match the

number of pupils leaving the school therefore the baseline allocation of SNA support

would remain unaltered. Consequently special schools may not have sought additional

resources for new entrants through the NCSE unless particular circumstances applied

in relation to an individual child.

However, given the policy of inclusion, which has applied in recent years, it was

recognised by the NCSE that many of the children enrolled, would have significant

care needs, as set out in professional reports and that an additional allocation of SNA

support, over and above the baseline allocation, might be required to meet the care

needs of individual or groups of children enrolled. Therefore in order to fully review

the care needs of all children enrolled in special schools, the review of SNA supports

was conducted by a team of 2-3 SENOs headed up by the SENO who is responsible

for the allocation of resources to the school and was conducted over a number of

weeks in stages, as set out below.

In August 2009, the NCSE wrote to all special schools informing them of the

commencement of the review in the special schools sector and that the SENO for the

school would be in contact with them shortly. The SENO then wrote to the school

signalling the commencement of the review and that it would comprise of 3 discreet

stages in special schools namely

Information gathering: class lists for the 09/10 academic year and a profile of

the current deployment of SNA supports throughout the school

Administration visit: Documentation including the professional reports for

each child enrolled, records relating to additional SNA posts sanctioned to the

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school, the timetable of SNA deployment and any relevant teacher/school

reports for each student that verify care needs

Student observation and discussion with staff: each student was observed in a

classroom or school yard setting, as appropriate and discussions took place

with the Principal, teachers, SNAs, where appropriate other individuals who

work with the student and parents/guardians. In this regard, the school was

provided with a letter for issue to all parents informing them of the review and

inviting them to make contact with the review team.

3. Outcome of Review

Overall outcome

Of the 4,000 schools, which are recognised under section 10 of the Education Act,

1998, in the region of 900 schools do not currently have an allocation of SNA.

To date 2,913 out of approx 3,150 schools with an allocation of SNA, have been

reviewed with the decisions having issued to the school. The remaining schools will

be reviewed in April, after the Easter break but the outcome of the review of these

schools will not materially impact on the overall outcome of the review. A final

breakdown of the outcome of the review will be made available at the end of April.

It should be noted that the tables set out below refer to Whole Time Equivalent posts

(WTE) and not individual SNAs.

Table 1

Overall Change in Number of SNAs in all Schools Reviewed

(n= 2,913 schools)

Number of SNAs

Prior to Review 8,821

Following Review 8,463

Overall Change -358

Table 2

Number of Schools with a Change in Level of SNAs in Schools Reviewed

(n= 2,913 schools)

Number of Schools

No Change in Level of SNA 1502

Decrease in Level of SNA 832

Increase in Level of SNA 579

Outcome for Primary Schools

Table 3

Overall Change in Number of SNAs in Primary Schools Reviewed

(n= 2,283 primary schools)

Number of SNAs

Prior to Review 6096

Following Review 5801

Overall Change -295

Table 4

Reasons for Change in Number of SNAs in Primary Schools Reviewed

(n= 2,283 primary schools)

Number of SNAs

SNAs Freed Up Because of Students Leaving 723

SNAs Freed Up Because of Diminishing Care Needs 534

SNAs Allocated to New Students 962

Table 5

Number of Primary Schools with a Change in Level of SNAs in Schools

Reviewed (n= 2,283 primary schools)

Number of Primary Schools

No Change in Level of SNA 1182

Decrease in Level of SNA 663

Increase in Level of SNA 438

Outcome for Post-Primary Schools

Table 6

Overall Change in Number of SNAs in Post-Primary Schools Reviewed

(n= 573 post-primary schools)

Number of SNAs

Prior to Review 1707

Following Review 1656

Overall Change -51

Table 7

Reasons for Change in Number of SNAs in Post-Primary Schools Reviewed

(n= 573 post-primary schools)

Number of SNAs

SNAs Freed Up Because of Students Leaving 197

SNAs Freed Up Because of Diminishing Care Needs 199

SNAs Allocated to New Students 345

Table 8

Number of Post-Primary Schools with a Change in Level of SNAs in Schools

Reviewed (n= 573 post-primary schools)

Number of Post-Primary Schools

No Change in Level of SNA 294

Decrease in Level of SNA 153

Increase in Level of SNA 126

Outcome for Special Schools

A key factor in the review of Special Schools was that in most instances, the

NCSE was not involved in the original allocation of SNA resources, unlike

mainstream schools. Consequently this was the first detailed profile of SNA

resources in these schools, obtained by the NCSE.

Table 9

Overall Change in Number of SNAs in Special Schools Reviewed

(n= 57 special schools)

Number of SNAs

Prior to Review 1018

Following Review 1006

Overall Change -12

Table 10

Number of Special Schools with a Change in Level of SNAs in Schools Reviewed

(n= 57 special schools)

Number of Special Schools

No Change in Level of SNA 26

Decrease in Level of SNA 16

Increase in Level of SNA 15