Written answers

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Department of Education and Skills

Special Educational Needs Services Provision

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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251. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects to be in a position to ensure the provision of the maximum number of special needs school places in the coming year, notwithstanding budgetary constraints which he inherited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42449/13]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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252. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects to be able to meet the demand in respect of special needs classes in all schools throughout the country in both rural and urban areas in the current year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42450/13]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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253. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he intends to provide for the maximum number of special needs teachers throughout the educational sector with particular reference to meeting emerging demands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42451/13]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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255. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects to be able to respond positively to meeting the needs of the various school authorities at primary and second level throughout the country in respect of special needs teachers and required school places in each of the next two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42453/13]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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258. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects to be in a position to meet the special needs class requirements at primary and second level throughout County Kildare in the coming year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42456/13]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 251 to 253, inclusive, 255 and 258 together.

The Deputy will be aware that this Government is committed to the protection of front-line services for pupils with special educational needs. The level of resources devoted to supporting children with Special Educational Needs has been maintained at €1.3 billion this year. This includes provision for 10,575 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs), over 10,300 Learning Support and Resource Teachers, provision for over 740 Special Classes attached to mainstream schools at reduced pupil teacher ratios, enhanced capitation for special schools and special classes and provision for assistive technology support.

The level of investment being provided will ensure that provision can continue to be made to provide for the educational requirements of children with special educational needs, enrolled in all schools, to ensure that children with special educational needs can continue to have access to educational facilities in line with their requirements. The policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs should be included in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. All schools and all school places are therefore available for children with special educational needs to be enrolled to. Supports will continue to be allocated to schools to support pupils with special educational needs.

SNA support will continue to be allocated to schools to ensure that all children who qualify for access to SNA support for the current school year will receive access to such support. To date the NCSE has allocated 10,480 SNA posts to schools. The remaining posts are available for allocation throughout the school year for new assessments of disability, new entrants, or emergency or late applications, in accordance with the terms of the SNA scheme. Additional resource teaching support will continue to be allocated to schools. In line with my decision in June to authorise the NCSE to maintain the level of resource teaching allocations to be provided for students with special educational needs for the current school year to the 2012/13 levels, 5,284 whole time equivalent resource teaching posts have been allocated to schools at this point. Further resource teaching posts will be allocated when the NCSE has processed applications received to 20th September, 2013.

In circumstances where children with special educational need require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places are also available. Some 740 Special Classes are being provided for mainstream schools for the current school year. This includes 118 new special classes which have been opened this year. The provision that is being made for special educational needs support will ensure that special needs class requirements at primary and second level, including in County Kildare, can continue to be fully met this school year.

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