Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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90. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will assist with a matter in respect of a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36628/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.

In common with many other psychological services and best international practice, NEPS has adopted a consultative model of service. The focus is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with pupils whose needs range from mild to severe and transient to enduring. Psychologists use a problem solving and solution oriented consultative approach to maximize positive outcomes for these pupils. NEPS encourages schools to use a continuum based assessment and intervention process whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention for pupils with learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Teachers may consult their NEPS psychologist should they need to at this stage in the process. Only in the event of a failure to make reasonable progress, in spite of the school's best efforts in consultation with NEPS, will the psychologist become involved with an individual child for intensive intervention or assessment.

This system allows psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention.

I would advise that if there are children in the school for whom there are particular concerns the Principal should raise these concerns with the assigned NEPS Psychologist with a view to determining what course of action is appropriate to alleviate these concerns

As the Deputy may be aware, a review of the DEIS Programme which commenced last year is currently nearing completion and a new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion will be published before the end of this year. The Review process includes the development of a new identification framework to assess the level of educational disadvantage in schools. This new framework will assess all schools in the country, including the school to which the Deputy refers in his question, and it will not be necessary for school to make an application for assessment. Pending the completion of the Review, it is not my intention to make any changes to the current programme, including the inclusion of additional schools.

In relation to the new SEN model I might explain that the NCSE identified that the current model for allocating resource teachers to schools is potentially inequitable, because access to the range of professional assessments required for the diagnosis of low incident disabilities is not always readily available to those who cannot afford to access them privately. The NCSE has also advised that the current model can lead to unnecessary labelling of children from a young age.

The NCSE has proposed a new resource teaching allocation model which will, when introduced, remove the formal requirement for diagnostic assessment to access additional support and which will provide resources to schools based on school profiles.

A pilot of this new model was conducted in 47 primary and post primary schools over the course of the 2015/16 school year. A review of this pilot has been completed and a report of the review is currently being finalised. It is understood that the review will indicate that the new model has been positively received by schools and parents.

Schools indicated that they welcomed the increased flexibility and autonomy provided by the model to allocate resources based on need. Most schools believe the model allows more scope for team teaching, targeted interventions, mix of in-class and group work, with less focus on withdrawal and one to one teaching. Schools welcome the move away from the unnecessary labelling of children in order to secure resources. Schools also welcomed that they no longer need to wait for diagnosis and that this facilitates intervention at an earlier stage based on the schools identification of need. In addition schools indicated a belief that they were broadly well supported in meeting the needs of children with Special Educational Needs.

As part the recent Budget announcements, it was therefore announced that following development and piloting over the past number of years, a new model for the allocation of teaching resources for children with special educational needs will be implemented from September 2017.

An additional €18 million will be provided in 2017 to provide for around 900 resource teacher posts.

Further details regarding implementation of the new model will be announced in the coming months