Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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231. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of resource teachers recruited in each of the years 2005 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [17834/18]

Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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232. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of SNAs recruited in each of the years 2005 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [17835/18]

Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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233. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special classes the National Council for Special Education plans to open in 2018, in tabular form. [17836/18]

Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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234. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special classes opened in each of the years 2005 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [17837/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 to 234, inclusive, together.

Ensuring that children with special educational needs are supported and given the opportunity to reach their full potential is a key priority for this government.

My Department's policy aims to ensure that all children with Special Educational Needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network.

Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions, delivered by fully qualified professional teachers, with the support of Special Needs Assistants and the appropriate school curriculum.

All state-funded primary and post primary schools have been allocated additional resources to provide for children with special educational needs enrolled in school.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports.  The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. 

In 2018, almost €1.8 billion will be invested in Special Education. This represents an increase of almost 43% since 2011 and amounts to almost 20% of the Department’s overall Budget.

To this end my Department has allocated SNA support to over 12,000 extra pupils since 2011 and provided extra Special Education teachers to meet the expansion in children in need of teaching support.

Since 2011, the increase in SNAs has been 3,545, including an additional 2,080 posts in the last two years bringing the current number to some 14,120.

The number of Special Education teachers has increased by 3,660 since 2011, including 1,600 additional posts in the past two years, bringing the current number to 13,400.

The number of special classes has risen by 756 since 2011, including 293 new classes in the past two years bringing the current number to over 1,300. The NCSE have advised my Department that it intends to establish approx. 160 new special classes, including approximately 150 new ASD classes, for the 2018/19 school year.

The NCSE is aware of emerging need from year to year, and where special provision is required it is planned and established to meet that need.

The NCSE continues to progress the planning process to ensure that all students with Special Educational Needs can access supports appropriate to their needs for the 2018/19 school year and beyond.

Tables are provided showing the following:

- The number of SNAs allocated from 2005 to 2018

- The number of special classes from 2010 to 2018 – the number for the years 2005 to 2010 is not readily available, I will arrange to have this information compiled and forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

- The numbers of learning support and resource teachers from 2009 to 2017, and Special Education teachers in 2017/18. As prior to 2009, allocations for resource teaching support were only made to schools once all existing surplus teaching capacity was utilised in schools, allocations for resource teaching were not recorded as a separate entity at that time and are therefore not available for the period prior to 2009.

Number of Special Classes

General Allocation Model Learning Support and Resource Teaching posts

New Special Education Allocation Model

SNA Allocations 2005-2017