Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

474. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans for increased investment in special autism units and increased teacher supports and Special Needs Assistants for children with Autism and other special needs in the Newcastle, Rathcoole, Lucan, and Dublin 22 ares in Dublin over the coming five years. [39081/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to advise the Deputy that some €1.37 billion will be spent in support of children with Special Educational Needs this year, which represents approximately 15% of my Department's budget.

The investment which is being made to support children with special educational needs is an area of spending which has been prioritised above most other areas by this Government.

We now have the highest level of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support, Resource Teaching allocations and Special Class provision that we have ever had, which will ensure that children with special educational needs can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.

I recently announced that an additional 610 SNA posts and over 480 additional Resource Teachers are being provided for this year to ensure that children can continue to have access to additional supports in school.

In addition, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has established over 150 new Special Classes in the 2015/16 school year, which means there are now over 1,000 special classes attached to mainstream schools catering for

children with special educational needs.

This will ensure that children with special educational needs, including children with autism, can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.

The policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs, including children with autism, should be included where possible and appropriate in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with special educational need require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places are also available.

Children with autism therefore have a number of placement options including mainstream placement with support, placement in a special class in a mainstream school or placement in a special class in a special school.

The establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years.

The NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) will continue to engage with schools in order to plan for, and to open, new special classes each year, in order to ensure there are sufficient special

class placements available at primary and post primary school level to meet demand in a given area.

The NCSE has advised my Department that, for children with autism, there are now 762 special classes nationwide in mainstream schools, 116 of which are early intervention settings, 452 in primary schools and 194 at post primary level.

Details of all of the special classes for children with special educational needs which are attached to mainstream schools are published each year on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie.

I have arranged for the Deputy's request for specific detail on provision in the areas referred to, to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.