Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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546. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will intervene with the special educational needs organisers to ensure a school (details supplied) in County Longford retains the two special needs assistants it is due to lose as a consequence of the loss of three children in 2014, as this decision does not reflect the fact three new students, who have more profound needs, have replaced the three pupils who left; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40732/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy 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. The criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.

It is important to note that each school's allocation of SNA support can change from year to year and may be increased or decreased as students who qualify for SNA support enrol or leave a school. New students with care needs may, or may not, enrol to replace students who have left, for example, or SNA allocations may be decreased where a child's care needs have diminished over time.

The deployment of SNAs within schools is then a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.

All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed.

The NCSE has published details of SNA allocations for schools for September 2015 on its website www.ncse.ie.

The website indicates that the school in question had an allocation of 12 whole time equivalent (WTE) SNA posts in the 2014/15 school year and has retained the same allocation of SNA posts for the 2015/16 school year.

I understand that the NCSE recently visited the school on foot of an enquiry received from the school authorities in relation to its SNA allocation and, having considered all available information, has determined that the SNA allocation for the school for 2015/16 is a sufficient level of support to cater for the care needs of all qualifying children enrolled in the school.

I understand also that the SENO has met with parents of pupils attending the school to discuss the allocation process and has informed the school of the appeal process which applies in relation to SNA allocations.

All schools have the contact details of their local SENO, while parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.