Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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206. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address concerns of some schools over the new resource and learning support teaching hours allocation model, in particular concerns that the NCSE will not review allocation of support teachers until 2019; and the position with regard to schools that require an increase in hours due to having additional pupils requiring SEN support while it is acknowledged that schools will not lose resource teaching hours. [8498/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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On 18th January last, I announced that a new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools will be introduced from September 2017.

The basic aim of this new model is to deliver better outcomes for children with special educational needs. Large amounts of research, analysis, consultation with service users and stakeholders, and piloting have gone in to the development of this model and all the evidence points to the fact that this new system will deliver better outcomes for children.

No school will lose supports as a result of the implementation of the new model. In addition, no school will receive an allocation, for the support of pupils with complex needs, less than the allocation they received to support such pupils during the 2016/17 school year. No allocation made for such pupils by the NCSE will be removed from schools as long as that pupil remains in the school.

I also announced that an additional 900 teaching posts will be provided to support the introduction of this new allocation model. The provision of an additional 900 teaching posts is a very significant investment in the provision of additional teaching support for pupils with special educational needs in our schools. This is additional to an increase of 41% in the number of resource teachers allocated to schools annually by the NCSE since 2011, when 5265 teachers were allocated, as opposed to provision for 7452 posts in the current school year.

The additional funding will provide additional supports to over 1000 schools who are identified as needing additional supports as a result of the new model. Supports for children with special educational needs is a huge priority for this Government. We currently spend €1.5billion, or one fifth of the total education budget, on supports for children with special educational needs.

It will ensure that all schools receive a sufficient allocation of special education needs resources to provide additional teaching support to all pupils in their school who require such support. 

Under the new allocation model schools will be provided with a total allocation which includes a baseline allocation for the school and an allocation based on the school profile.

The provision of a profiled allocation will give a fairer allocation for each school which recognises that all schools need an allocation for special needs support, but which provides a graduated allocation which takes into account the actual level of need and pupils in each school.

Schools will be frontloaded with resources, based on each schools profile, to provide supports immediately to those pupils who need it without delay.  This will reduce the administrative burden on schools as schools will no longer have to complete an application process annually and apply for newly enrolled pupils who require resource hours. Children who need support can have that support provided immediately rather than having to wait for a diagnosis.

Schools will therefore no longer have to make applications, for newly enrolled pupils for whom resource teaching hours may have been provided under the old model, as school will now a single allocation for all of their special education teaching needs, based on their school size and profile.  

It should be noted that this is a brand new model of allocation and is not comparable to the existing model. By using a broad range of attainment and socio-economic criteria, it is expected that allocations made to school will be sufficient to meet both current and future needs as they arise until the next review.

Currently most schools' educational profiles remain relatively constant from year to year.  Each year, some students with additional teaching needs will leave and others will enrol, broadly balancing the school profile.

The model will provide, from this year, additional resources to schools where it is expected that there will be additional needs. In protecting resources in schools where the profiles indicate that the levels of need are lower than are currently provided for some additional capacity is also provided for in those school. Accordingly, all schools should have the capacity to meet the needs of additional children enrolling in the school in the following school year without the need for additional or new resources.     

The model will, however, allow for some additional provision for very exceptional circumstances or where a school’s enrolment levels increase very substantially prior to the next review of the model. The Inclusion Support Service, being established under the National Council for Special Education will support schools in managing their special education teaching allocations in the first instance. Only in very exceptional circumstances, where it can be demonstrated that the schools profile has changed very significantly since the allocation was made to the school, may an additional allocation of hours be made to the school.

A new Circular will be issued to schools in the coming weeks which will provide details of how the scheme will operate while details of the allocations for each school will also be provided to schools.

The Deputy will also be aware that my Department implemented a pilot of the proposed new Resource Teacher allocation model over the course of the 2015/2016 school year.

A review of this pilot has been completed and has been published on my Departments website www.education.ie.

The review has indicated 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.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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207. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address concerns of school principals that they have not been given enough information on the way the allocations of resource and learning support teaching will be allocated for the 2017-18 school term; and if he will further address concerns that schools which experience a rise in identified special needs in 2017-18 will have to consequently reduce current pupils' contact time in order that new special needs pupils can be supported. [8499/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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On 18th January last, I announced that a new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools will be introduced from September 2017.

The basic aim of this new model is to deliver better outcomes for children with special educational needs. Large amounts of research, analysis, consultation with service users and stakeholders, and piloting have gone in to the development of this model and all the evidence points to the fact that this new system will deliver better outcomes for children.

No school will lose supports as a result of the implementation of the new model. In addition, no school will receive an allocation, for the support of pupils with complex needs, less than the allocation they received to support such pupils during the 2016/17 school year. No allocation made for such pupils by the NCSE will be removed from schools as long as that pupil remains in the school.

I also announced that an additional 900 teaching posts will be provided to support the introduction of this new allocation model. The provision of an additional 900 teaching posts is a very significant investment in the provision of additional teaching support for pupils with special educational needs in our schools. This is additional to an increase of 41% in the number of resource teachers allocated to schools annually by the NCSE since 2011, when 5265 teachers were allocated, as opposed to provision for 7452 posts in the current school year.

The additional funding will provide additional supports to over 1000 schools who are identified as needing additional supports as a result of the new model. Supports for children with special educational needs is a huge priority for this Government. We currently spend €1.5billion, or one fifth of the total education budget, on supports for children with special educational needs.

I wish to advise the Deputy that a new Circular will be issued to schools in the coming weeks which will provide details for schools as to the way in which allocations of resource and learning support teaching will be allocated for the 2017/2018 school term. Details of the allocations for each school will also be provided to schools.

Schools will also be provided with Guidance on how to manage and deploy their resources under the new allocation model, in order to ensure that they can provide additional teaching support for all pupils who need support in their school, taking into account their individual learning needs.

In addition my officials and officials from the National Council for Special Education have engaged extensively with school management bodies, teacher and parent representative bodies and school principals to provide information on the model and how it will apply within all schools from September 2017. Over the coming weeks my officials will host a number of regional seminars which will provide information directly to principals and school leaders on the new model and on the guidance materials which will be made available.

The Deputy will also be aware that my Department implemented a pilot of the proposed new Resource Teacher allocation model over the course of the 2015/2016 school year.

A review of this pilot has been completed and has been published on my Departments website www.education.ie.

The review has indicated 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.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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208. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address concerns that the NCSE is not accepting applications from schools for SEN supports for children with complex needs in 2017; and the way the NCSE expects to be informed in decisions made over resource teaching allocations without information submitted by schools on individual students' complex needs. [8500/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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On 18th January last, I announced that a new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools will be introduced from September 2017.

The basic aim of this new model is to deliver better outcomes for children with special educational needs. Large amounts of research, analysis, consultation with service users and stakeholders, and piloting have gone in to the development of this model and all the evidence points to the fact that this new system will deliver better outcomes for children.

No school will lose supports as a result of the implementation of the new model. In addition, no school will receive an allocation, for the support of pupils with complex needs, less than the allocation they received to support such pupils during the 2016/17 school year. No allocation made for such pupils by the NCSE will be removed from schools as long as that pupil remains in the school.

I also announced that an additional 900 teaching posts will be provided to support the introduction of this new allocation model. The provision of an additional 900 teaching posts is a very significant investment in the provision of additional teaching support for pupils with special educational needs in our schools. This is additional to an increase of 41% in the number of resource teachers allocated to schools annually by the NCSE since 2011, when 5265 teachers were allocated, as opposed to provision for 7452 posts in the current school year.

The additional funding will provide additional supports to over 1000 schools who are identified as needing additional supports as a result of the new model. Supports for children with special educational needs is a huge priority for this Government. We currently spend €1.5billion, or one fifth of the total education budget, on supports for children with special educational needs.

It will ensure that all schools receive a sufficient allocation of special education needs resources to provide additional teaching support to all pupils in their school who require such support. 

Under the new allocation model schools will be provided with a total allocation which includes a baseline allocation for the school and an allocation based on the school profile.

The provision of a profiled allocation will give a fairer allocation for each school which recognises that all schools need an allocation for special needs support, but which provides a graduated allocation which takes into account the actual level of need and pupils in each school.

Schools will be frontloaded with resources, based on each school's profile, to provide supports immediately to those pupils who need it without delay.  This will reduce the administrative burden on schools as schools will no longer have to complete an application process annually and apply for newly enrolled pupils who require resource hours. Children who need support can have that support provided immediately rather than having to wait for a diagnosis.

Schools will therefore no longer have to make applications, for newly enrolled pupils for whom resource teaching hours may have been provided under the old model, as school will now a single allocation for all of their special education teaching needs, based on their school size and profile.  

Accordingly, the NCSE advised schools that there was no longer a requirement for schools to make applications for special education teaching supports for individula pupils with special education teaching needs, as resources would be provided for schools by the profiled allocation.

For the introduction of the new allocation model, from September 2017, the NCSE ‘Low Incidence’ allocations which had been made for each school during the preceding year 2016/17 school year, have been used to establish the complex needs component of the new allocation model for each school.

A model for the identification of pupils with complex needs in future is being devised by the NCSE, in consultation with the Health Service Executive and National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS). This model will take account of the qualification criteria for the selection of children for access to HSE Children Disability Network Teams.

For the next re profiling of the model, the pupils with newly identified Complex Needs will be included in this revised allocation, less any school leavers included in this category.

It should be noted that this is a brand new model of allocation and is not comparable to the existing model. By using a broad range of attainment and socio-economic criteria it is expected that allocations made to school will be sufficient to meet both current and future needs as they arise until the next review.

Currently most schools' educational profiles remain relatively constant from year to year.  Each year, some students with additional teaching needs will leave and others will enrol, broadly balancing the school profile.

The model will provide, from this year, additional resources to schools where it is expected that there will be additional needs. In protecting resources in schools where the profiles indicate that the levels of need are lower than are currently provided for some additional capacity is also provided for in those schools. Accordingly, all schools should have the capacity to meet the needs of additional children enrolling in the school in the following school year without the need for additional or new resources.     

The model will, however, allow for some additional provision for very exceptional circumstances or where a school’s enrolment levels increase very substantially prior to the next review of the model. The Inclusion Support Service, being established under the National Council for Special Education will support schools in managing their special education teaching allocations in the first instance. Only in very exceptional circumstances, where it can be demonstrated that the schools profile has changed very significantly since the allocation was made to the school, may an additional allocation of hours be made to the school.

A new Circular will be issued to schools in the coming weeks which will provide details of how the scheme will operate while details of the allocations for each school will also be provided to schools

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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209. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address concerns that under the new NCSE allocation model for resource teaching hours, allocations will become reactive to students' needs due to the reliance on standarised tests; if he will further address fears that schools with strong performance on standardised tests might receive a worse allocation even though they have a high number of children with special education needs. [8501/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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On 18th January last, I announced that a new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools will be introduced from September 2017.

The basic aim of this new model is to deliver better outcomes for children with special educational needs. Large amounts of research, analysis, consultation with service users and stakeholders, and piloting have gone in to the development of this model and all the evidence points to the fact that this new system will deliver better outcomes for children.

No school will lose supports as a result of the implementation of the new model. In addition, no school will receive an allocation, for the support of pupils with complex needs, less than the allocation they received to support such pupils during the 2016/17 school year. No allocation made for such pupils by the NCSE will be removed from schools as long as that pupil remains in the school.

I also announced that an additional 900 teaching posts will be provided to support the introduction of this new allocation model. The provision of an additional 900 teaching posts is a very significant investment in the provision of additional teaching support for pupils with special educational needs in our schools. This is additional to an increase of 41% in the number of resource teachers allocated to schools annually by the NCSE since 2011, when 5265 teachers were allocated, as opposed to provision for 7452 posts in the current school year.

The additional funding will provide additional supports to over 1000 schools who are identified as needing additional supports as a result of the new model. Supports for children with special educational needs is a huge priority for this Government. We currently spend €1.5billion, or one fifth of the total education budget, on supports for children with special educational needs.

The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory role under Section 20 of the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 to advise me, as Minister for Education and Skills, in relation to matters relating to the education of children and others with disabilities.

In 2014 the NCSE published a Working Group Report “Delivery for Students with Special Educational Needs - a better and more equitable way” which recommended a new model for allocating resource teaching support to schools, based on the profiled needs of each school, rather than being primarily based on the diagnosed disability of individual children.

It proposed that the allocation of additional teaching supports to schools be in future based on two components:

School educational profile component; and

Baseline component provided to every mainstream school to support inclusion, prevention of learning difficulties and early intervention.

The working group selected three elements on which to establish a school’s educational profile, based on what each element contributes to building this profile: 

1. Students with complex special educational needs.

2. Percentages of students performing below a certain threshold on standardised test results

3. Social context of school which includes gender, primary school location and educational disadvantage.

The NCSE working group report considered that standardised test data provides a broad and objective basis to establish differences between schools in levels of relative overall student educational achievement.

The report recommended that standardised test results should be used in building the educational profile of schools, as they link directly to the educational achievement of students in schools. 

The use of standardised test scores will ensure that the school’s educational profile includes students with low achievement in literacy and numeracy including those students whose special educational needs affect their learning achievement levels.

The previous generalised allocation model, which was based primarily on school size, did not take account of the learning needs of pupils, or of the profile of pupils in the school.

It was for this reason that the NCSE recommended that a profiled allocation be made for schools, which included consideration of standardised test scores.

In calculating this element of schools’ educational profile an aggregate of primary school standardised test results over 2013/14 and 2014/15 has been used for the first phase of the introduction of the new allocation model.

For future re-profiling of the model, updated data will be used to create an aggregate of the school’s learning support needs, which will ensure that an accurate picture of a school's profile over a period of time is developed.  

In order to ensure that schools are not penalised for improving performance generally, no resources provided to schools under the current model will be removed from the school on the introduction of the new model. 

The use of standardised test data means that the school profile considers not just the number of pupils in the school, but also the learning needs of those pupils in that school who are performing at a level represented in the bottom 16% of the population, as evidenced by national attainment data.

In this context, schools with strong performance on standardised tests should have no concerns on the impact of this on their profiles. In calculating values for this component, no consideration is given to scores above Standard Ten scores 1 to 4. Effectively, values are only accorded to the 16% of students who would ordinarily fall within, or on the margins of, the learning support needs category. 

It should also be noted that the consideration of standardised test data forms only one part of the special educational needs profiled allocation for schools and there will not therefore be an over reliance on standardised test scores.

A new Circular and Guidance will be issued to schools in the coming weeks which will provide details of how the scheme will operate while details of the allocations for each school will also be provided to schools

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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210. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address concerns that under the new NCSE allocation model for resource teaching hours, allocations will be based on socioeconomic background, which is not directly related to assessed conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, ASD or speech and language difficulties. [8502/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On 18th January last, I announced that a new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools will be introduced from September 2017.

The basic aim of this new model is to deliver better outcomes for children with special educational needs. Large amounts of research, analysis, consultation with service users and stakeholders, and piloting have gone in to the development of this model and all the evidence points to the fact that this new system will deliver better outcomes for children.

No school will lose supports as a result of the implementation of the new model. In addition, no school will receive an allocation, for the support of pupils with complex needs, less than the allocation they received to support such pupils during the 2016/17 school year. No allocation made for such pupils by the NCSE will be removed from schools as long as that pupil remains in the school.

I also announced that an additional 900 teaching posts will be provided to support the introduction of this new allocation model. The provision of an additional 900 teaching posts is a very significant investment in the provision of additional teaching support for pupils with special educational needs in our schools. This is additional to an increase of 41% in the number of resource teachers allocated to schools annually by the NCSE since 2011, when 5265 teachers were allocated, as opposed to provision for 7452 posts in the current school year.

The additional funding will provide additional supports to over 1000 schools who are identified as needing additional supports as a result of the new model. Supports for children with special educational needs is a huge priority for this Government. We currently spend €1.5billion, or one fifth of the total education budget, on supports for children with special educational needs.

The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory role under Section 20 of the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 to advise me, as Minister for Education and Skills, in relation to matters relating to the education of children and others with disabilities.

In 2014 the NCSE published a Working Group Report “Delivery for Students with Special Educational Needs – a better and more equitable way” which recommended a new model for allocating resource teaching support to schools, based on the profiled needs of each school, rather than being primarily based on the diagnosed disability of individual children.

It proposed that the allocation of additional teaching supports to schools be in future based on two components:

School educational profile component; and

Baseline component provided to every mainstream school to support inclusion, prevention of learning difficulties and early intervention.

The working group selected three elements on which to establish a school’s educational profile, based on what each element contributes to building this profile: 

1. Students with complex special educational needs.

2. Percentages of students performing below a certain threshold on standardised test results

3. Social context of school which includes gender, primary school location and educational disadvantage.

The NCSE Working Group advised that a school's social context can contribute strongly to the level of learning needs that students have in a school.

The Working Group noted that drawing on 'Growing Up in Ireland' data, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) analysed how the prevalence of special educational needs varies across social class and income groups. They found that the percentage of students reported by teachers to have special educational needs was signifi­cantly greater for those in schools serving disadvantaged areas.

On the basis of available research, the Working Group concluded that the use of a school’s social context is valid in the development of a school’s educational profile, as the socioeconomic status of students is linked to the incidence of certain types of special educational needs.

While some areas of special educational needs may be reflected in low test scores, some students with relatively high levels of educational achievement may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The profiled allocation for schools therefore contains provision to take account of social context, however, this only forms one portion of the overall allocation.

A new Circular and Guidance will be issued to schools in the coming weeks which will provide details of how the scheme will operate, while details of the allocations for each school will also be provided to schools.