Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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401. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to ensure the current student teacher ratio at a school (details supplied) is maintained due to the high proportion of students at the school that require additional supports; if his attention has been drawn to the measures the school will have to undertake, including merging classes, if the current student teacher ratio is changed; if his attention has been further drawn to the negative impact such a change will have on all pupils and teachers at the school; the reason the school will not be able to use a new special needs unit when it moves to a new premises; if an arrangement can be made in order that this unit can be used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46652/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.

The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location.

The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. Details of the criteria for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule, Circular 0017/2017.

Firhouse Educate Together National School submitted an application to the April and October meeting of the Appeals Board under three separate Criteria, Accommodation, Class Size and Developing. The Appeals Board determined that these appeals did not warrant the allocation of additional posts for the 2017/18 school year on confirmation of pupil enrolments on the 30^thSeptember 2017.

The Staffing Schedule also includes a separate provision where schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional permanent mainstream posts on developing grounds. The school referred to by the Deputy was successful in being granted one additional post on developing grounds for the 2017/18 school year based on confirmed enrolments. The school has been notified accordingly.

The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

The school building project referred to by the Deputy is to provide two new 16 classroom primary school buildings including a Special Needs Unit on a shared campus. Both schools are currently in temporary accommodation on the shared campus site.

The first school building was handed over to the school on the 6^thNovember 2017.  Both schools will occupy this building pending construction of the second school building. Construction of the second school building is on-going and cannot be completed until the temporary accommodation for both schools is removed from site.

Before the commencement of construction, both schools were invited to a meeting with officials in my Department where it was agreed with both schools that they would share the first school building pending completion of the second school.  The indicative completion date for the second school building is April 2018.

The co-location of both schools in the same building will not impact the accommodation provided for the special needs unit.

In relation to the new model for the allocation of Special Education Teachers to schools, DES Circular 0013/2017 for primary schools and 0014/2017 for post primary schools were published on 7th March 2017.

The revised allocation process 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 Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile.

Under the new allocation model, schools have been provided with a total allocation for special education needs support based on their school profile.

Included within this is an allocation for:

- A school educational profile component; which includes:

- An allocation for pupils with complex needs

- The learning support needs in schools as evidenced by attainment levels in standardised test results

- The social context of the school including disadvantage and gender

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

The provision of a profiled allocation is designed to 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 in each school.

The special education teaching allocation provided for this school for 2017/18 was 48.05 hours.

The profiling model had indicated a profiled special educational need for this school, relative to that of other schools, of 47.50 teaching hours.

However, as no school received an allocation, on the introduction of the new model, which was less than the allocation they received in the previous school year, the school maintained an allocation of 48.05 hours and it was indicated that within this allocation there was a retained element of 0.55 hrs.

Where a school profile significantly changes following the allocation process e.g. a developing school where the net enrolment numbers significantly increase year on year additional allocations may be made.

The criteria for qualification for mainstream school developing school posts are set out in DES Circular 17/2017 (Primary School Staffing Schedule) and DES 10,11,12/2017 (Post Primary School Staffing Schedule).

Schools who qualified for additional mainstream developing school posts in accordance with these criteria also qualified for additional Special Education Teaching Allocations to take account of this developing status.

Firhouse NS school was provided with an additional net SEN allocation of 2.45 hours on the grounds that the school qualified for one additional developing mainstream teaching post.

The school received a revised total special education teaching allocation of 50.5 hours. 

This allocation equates to over 2 full time additional Special Education Teachers.

It is acknowledged and accepted that schools will have some additional pupils with special educational needs enrolling to their school subsequent to the profiles having been developed.

However, for the most part these will be balanced by the fact that some students who had additional teaching needs in the previous year will have left the school. The baseline is also designed to ensure that schools have some capacity to provide additional support to pupils.

The additional allocations made where schools qualify for developing mainstream teaching posts take account of growing enrolments.

It is also acknowledged that there will be some schools where exceptional circumstances may arise.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) will also be available to support schools where schools have developed and implemented appropriate plans for the deployment of their special education needs teaching resources, but the school considers that further support may be required. This support may involve Continuing Professional Development or further training for school staff, advice in relation to the support plans that are in place, and possibly a review process once schools can clearly demonstrate that exceptional circumstances have arisen in the school.

The NCSE has now published details of how schools can seek a review of their allocations, including the utilisation of their allocations, in circumstances where a school considers that very exceptional circumstances have arisen subsequent to the development of the profile.  

Should this school consider that they fulfil the criteria for a review on the grounds of exceptional circumstances, details of this review process are available at:

.