Written answers

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Department of Education and Skills

Special Educational Needs

5:00 pm

Photo of Derek KeatingDerek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 58: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will examine the urgency of a special needs assistant application made to him on behalf of a school (details supplied) in County Dublin; in view of the needs of this school and the large attendance, if he will examine this application and give it priority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10015/12]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Deputy will be aware that 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. This now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts.

The NCSE has now advised all mainstream schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, of their SNA allocation for the current school year, taking into account the care needs of qualifying pupils attending the school. The NCSE recently published statistical information on SNA allocations on a county by county and school by school basis on its website www.ncse.ie.

The NCSE has retained a number of SNA posts in order to allocate them over the remainder of the school year in respect of emergency cases or new diagnosis. Should a school seek to have their SNA provision reviewed or make a new application, they should contact the NCSE in this regard. It is expected that schools, before requesting any review of their SNA provision, will be in a position to demonstrate that they have made every effort to manage their allocation of SNA posts to best effect.

I have arranged for Deputy's question regarding an individual application for SNA support to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.