Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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140. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address concerns from schools regarding changes to student profiling (details supplied). [42900/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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DES Circular 0013/2017 for primary schools and 0014/2017 for post primary schools which were published on 7th March 2017, set out the details of the new model for allocating special education teachers to schools, introduced in all mainstream primary and post primary school in September 2017.

The revised allocation model replaces the generalised allocation process at primary and post primary school level for learning support and high incidence special educational needs, and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocation process which provided additional resource teaching supports to schools, to support pupils assessed as having Low Incidence disabilities.

The new model provides a single allocation to schools based on the profile. Schools are frontloaded with resources to provide additional teaching support to all pupils who need such support. 

The Circulars note that 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 2016/17 school year, have been used to establish the complex needs component of the new model for each school.

This means that on the introduction of the new allocation model and until allocations are reviewed, no school will receive an allocation, for the support of pupils with complex needs, which is less than the allocation they had received to support pupils with Low Incidence special educational needs during the 2016/17 school year.

This also means that no allocation for pupils made by the NCSE will be removed from schools as long as that pupil remains in the school.

Whereas schools will have greater discretion as to how they can distribute resources under the new model, based on the individual needs of pupils, no reduction in allocations have been made to schools in respect of any pupils who were previously in receipt of a Low Incidence special needs allocation in that school.

A model for the identification of pupils with complex needs in future is being finalised by the NCSE, in consultation with the Health Service Executive and National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS)

This model will take account of the decision making process and qualification criteria for the selection of children for access to HSE Children Disability Network Teams.

For the next re profiling of the model, the Complex Needs category will be the existing low incidence allocations for schools, less any leavers included in this category, plus additional allocations for any new complex needs category pupils, over the period of time since the first school profiles were developed, to the point of the next re-profiling of the model.

Under the new allocation model schools are 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.

My Department has issued guidelines for schools to support them in the management of their SEN teaching resources. These guidelines are available on my Departments website.

Schools are encouraged to take guidelines on board in the planning process for the 2017/18 school year. In order to determine the levels of need within each school, it will be important for schools to have properly identified students with additional learning needs and have developed plans for each student indicating how the supports available will be used.

Responsibility for the management of behaviour in schools is a matter for individual schools. The Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the pupils in their school and is required to prepare a code of behaviour in accordance with Section 23 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000.

This code of behaviour shall specify the procedure to be followed before a student may be suspended or expelled from the school.  This code of behaviour should be available to all parents of pupils registered in the school.

The policy of my Department is to ensure that all children with special educational needs can be provided with an education appropriate to their needs.

Where possible, provision is made for the inclusive education of children with special educational needs. Department policy is that students with special educational needs 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 provided for.

Funding for special education provision in 2017 will amount to some €1.68 billion, which is equivalent to approximately 19% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training and represents an increase in spending in this area of 12% over the last two years.

There are currently over 13,000 special educational Needs teacher posts in mainstream primary and post primary schools with an additional 900 teaching posts provided to support the introduction of the new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools from September 2017.  

This year, 13,990 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are available for allocation to primary and post primary schools to the end of the 2016/17 school year, which is an increase of 32% in the number of posts available since 2011. SNA Circular 0030/2014 details the circumstances in which SNA support will be provided for behaviour related care needs. SNA support will only be provided for behaviour related care needs where there is a clear diagnosis of Emotional Behavioural Disturbance/Severe Emotional Behavioural Disturbance, or a behavioural disorder in conjunction with another disability, and also where it is clear that behavioural management strategies have not been successful to date, and where it is demonstrated how access to SNA support can assist the child.

As the Deputy may be aware, the NCSE are currently undertaking a Comprehensive Assessment of the SNA Scheme. In response to a progress report from the NCSE on the comprehensive assessment, I requested the NCSE to establish a working group, comprising relevant stakeholders, to assist in proposing a better model for providing care supports so as to provide better outcomes for students with special educational needs who have additional care needs.

This Working Group has commenced its work and it will run in tandem with the completion of the overall Comprehensive Review of the SNA Scheme. It is intended that the reports of the Working Group and of the Review will be completed in Spring 2018.

Schools may seek advice from their local National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) psychologist, from the NCSE’s Support Service through the Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO), or from the National Behavioural Support Services, as to how children with behavioural needs can best be supported in school.

The Special Education Support Service (SESS) now also part of NCSE’s Support Service, provides continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers working with students with special educational needs, including training for teachers in the area of challenging behaviour and Autism. My Department is also currently examining the issue of developing guidelines for schools on the specific issue of restraint or intervention.

Published guidelines which are available to schools include:

- Supporting Students with Behavioural, Emotional, and Social difficulties, which is available on the Department's website www.education.ie;

- the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) guidelines for schools on Developing a Code of Behaviour and the National Educational Psychological Services document Behavioural Emotional and Social Difficulties - a Continuum of Support: Guidelines for Teachers.