Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 366: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills her views on whether in 2010 parents of children with additional special needs are happy to send their children to school to have only their care needs met with no thought given to their academic needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18697/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that there has been unprecedented investment in providing supports for pupils with special needs in recent years and Special Education continues to be a key Government priority. Over €1 billion is being spent in supporting special educational provision this year.

There are now about 20,000 adults in our schools working solely with pupils with special needs. This includes over 10,000 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs); 8,600 resource and learning support teachers; over 1,100 special school teachers and hundreds of other teachers in special classes.

The purpose of this investment is to ensure that children with special educational needs have access to an appropriate education. The Deputy is aware that the class teacher is responsible for educating children with disabilities. In this task, they may be supported by the learning support teacher and/or resource teacher. In special schools and special classes, teachers are supported by lower pupil teacher ratios. SNAs are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with disabilities in an educational context. SNAs and teachers have separate yet complementary roles. The duties of SNAs are of a non-teaching nature while teachers deliver education to the pupils.

My Department has also responded to the need to provide teachers with continuing professional development in special education. This has been a key priority in recent years. The establishment of the Special Education Support Service (SESS) to provide expert support, professional development and training opportunities in special education for school staff has been very significant. Last year alone 23,602 training places were provided through the SESS.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 367: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the person responsible for drawing up the circular which sets out the criteria for the granting of special needs assistants; if it is the National Council for Special Education; if this criteria is in line with good practice in other jurisdictions; the research on which it is based; the reason that it is focus care only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18698/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for allocating special needs supports to schools to support children with special educational needs. The qualifying criteria for the allocation of special needs assistant (SNA) support is outlined in my Department's Circular Letter 07/02 which was drawn up at that time by the Principal Officer of the Special Education Section of my Department. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

SNAs are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with a disability. It is not reasonable to draw a direct parallel between the role of the SNA in Ireland and other support personnel funded in schools in other jurisdictions due to the different approaches taken in catering for the care needs of pupils with disabilities in various jurisdictions.

My Department's policy is that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, should be educated by fully qualified teachers. Accordingly, in addition to class teachers, my Department funds Learning Support and Resource Teachers to provide additional tuition for children with learning and special educational needs. The pupil teacher ratio is reduced in special schools or special classes.

The Deputy may be aware that my Department is currently carrying out a Value for Money and Policy Review of the SNA Scheme. This is a comprehensive review of the rationale for the scheme and it is expected to be completed in 2010.

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. SNA support will continue to be made available to schools which have enrolled pupils who qualify for such support.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 368: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills her views on whether the needs of a child with additional needs can be met through the three or five hours access to a resource teacher each week; her views on the way such children cope the other 25 hours of the week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18699/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I consider that the level and range of supports in schools funded by my Department does enable pupils with special educational needs have access to an appropriate education.

The primary responsibility for educating children with special educational needs rests with the class teacher. In carrying out their responsibilities, the class teacher may be supported by the learning support teacher and/or resource teacher. In special schools and special classes, teachers are supported by lower pupil teacher ratios. It is a matter for the individual school to use its professional judgement to determine how it uses the resources made available to them to intervene at the appropriate level with pupils with special educational needs.

My Department has recommended that each school should adopt a whole-school approach to meeting the special educational needs of its pupils. My Department has provided a range of advice to schools on the matter of whole-school planning by means of various publications.

For example, Circular SP ED 02/05 advises schools in relation to the organisation of teaching resources for pupils who need additional support. Schools are advised in the circular to establish a staged approach to assessment, identification and learning programme planning for pupils with special educational needs. Guidance for schools is provided in the circular for each step of the staged process. The circular outlines that each school should adopt a whole-school approach to meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs. The circular also sets out advice for schools on the development of whole-school policies and procedures for learning support.

Further advice has issued to schools in relation to planning for pupils with special educational needs including the Learning Support Guidelines, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) booklet 'A Continuum of Support' and 'Inclusion of Students with Special Educational Needs: Post-Primary Guidelines'.

Schools should use the guidance in the documents that have been provided to develop policies and procedures to suit the circumstances of the school and the needs of the pupils. It is open to schools to seek advice of their NEPS psychologist to seek further guidance and advice in relation to the establishment of whole-school procedures.

My Department has also responded to the need to provide teachers with continuing professional development in special education. This has been a key priority in recent years. The establishment of the Special Education Support Service (SESS) to provide expert support, professional development and training opportunities in special education for school staff has been very significant. Last year alone 23,602 training places were provided through the SESS.

I want to take this opportunity to emphasise that children with special educational needs will continue to have access to an education appropriate to their needs.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 369: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of children who have had their access to a special needs assistant reduced or cut; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18700/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

The review of SNA allocations being carried out by the NCSE, through its network of SENOs, is with a view to ensuring that the criteria governing the allocation of such posts are properly met. This is an exercise in identifying surplus posts which are in the system and which do not meet the current criteria – posts that have been retained when a pupil's care needs have diminished or where the pupil has left. At the same time, the NCSE is allocating additional posts where the criteria are met. The terms and criteria for the SNA scheme have not changed.

The NCSE has published its report on the Review of 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 by the end of the current academic year. A final breakdown of the outcome of the review will be made available when all schools have been reviewed.

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 and 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 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.

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 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)

Table 2

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

(n= 2,913 schools)

Outcome for Primary Schools

Table 3

Overall Change in Number of SNAs in Primary Schools Reviewed

(n= 2,283 primary schools)

Table 4

Reasons for Change in Number of SNAs in Primary Schools Reviewed

(n= 2,283 primary schools)

Table 5

Number of Primary Schools with a Change in Level of SNAs in Schools Reviewed (n= 2,283 primary schools)

Outcome for Post-Primary Schools

Table 6

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

(n= 573 post-primary schools)

Table 7

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

(n= 573 post-primary schools)

Table 8

Number of Post-Primary Schools with a Change in Level of SNAs in Schools Reviewed (n= 573 post-primary schools)

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)

Table 10

Number of Special Schools with a Change in Level of SNAs in Schools Reviewed (n= 57 special schools)

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 370: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will defend the current practice of the special educational needs organisers who ignore the recommendations of other professionals regarding children with additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18702/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

I wish to assure the Deputy that the SENOs do not ignore professional reports when determining the extent of supports to be provided for pupils with special educational needs. Consideration of such reports, along with a number of other issues, is an integral part of the determination process. However, the Deputy should note that responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational resources to be allocated resides with the NCSE through the SENO.

The NCSE has outlined the processes involved in the consideration of applications for special needs supports in its Circular 01/05 which is available on www.ncse.ie.

The co-operation and co-ordination of the education and health sectors is critical in the planning and delivery of services to children with special educational needs. The NCSE circular 03/08, which is also available on www.ncse.ie, clarifies the respective roles and functions of the NCSE and the HSE and their respective personnel in carrying out assessments of and sanctioning resources to support children with special educational needs.