Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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202. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the allocation to various bodies within his Department to provide for the education and training of teachers in special education; the number of graduates of initial teacher training whereby special education formed a compulsory part of the course; the cost of providing the equivalent of a module at initial teacher training level in special education to 100 teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17773/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides for a comprehensive system of continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers in the area of special educational needs. Central to this is the Special Education Support Service (SESS) whose brief is to enhance the quality of learning and teaching of students with special educational needs through the provision of CPD and support for teachers in mainstream schools, primary and post-primary special schools, and special classes. The National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) also provides support and expertise to partner post-primary schools on issues related to behaviour.

Details of expenditure in this area is set out in the following table:

From 20 March 2017, the management of SESS and NBSS has transferred from my Department to the National Council for Special Education as part of an expansion of supports available to the NCSE. The NCSE is currently developing it's Regional Support Service to provide for enhanced access to support for schools who need such support.

Programmes of initial teacher education (ITE) were reconfigured and extended in line with the Teaching Council’s Initial Teacher Education: Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers and the changes to ITE proposed in the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020.  Under the reconfigured model, inclusive education, including special education, is a mandatory area of study for all student teachers who are undertaking ITE programmes at primary and post primary levels.

The first graduates of the lengthened and reconfigured programmes were in 2016.There were c.3,600 graduates from the primary and post primary programmes in that year with approximately the same number expected to graduate in 2017.

Information on the cost of providing a module on special education to 100 teachers in ITE is not available.