Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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206. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the changes that have occurred with respect to the delivery of individual education plans at second level since the Croke Park agreement; if schools are permitted to opt out of delivering on such plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50414/18]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that there is currently not a statutory requirement for schools to provide a mandatory Individual Education Plan for children with special needs. This position has not changed as a result of the Croke Park Agreement.

However, all schools are encouraged to use some form of educational planning for the delivery of additional teaching, or care supports, for children with special educational needs, in order to ensure that the resources are being targeted and utilised efficiently and that they are having the desired outcomes.

My Department's Inspectorate's advice is that the majority of schools are now using some form of education planning for children with special educational needs. In line with Circular 30/2014, schools are also required to put in place Personal Pupil Plan including a care plan for all pupils availing of SNA support.

Circulars 0013 and 0014 2017, which introduced a new model for allocation special education teachers to schools, noted the importance of educational planning.

The Circulars note that educational planning is an essential element of a whole-school approach to meeting pupils’ needs. Educational plans should be differentiated in line with a pupils’ needs.

A pupil’s support plan should include clear, measurable learning targets, and specify the resources and interventions that will be used to address student needs in line with the Continuum of Support process. Individualised support plans for pupils should be developed through a collaborative process involving relevant teachers, parents/guardians, the pupils themselves and outside professionals, as necessary. The individualised planning process should include regular reviews of learning targets as part of an ongoing cycle of assessment, target setting, intervention and review.

Guidelines for schools on educational planning and monitoring of outcomes and the manner in which they should conduct educational planning, through the Student Support File, are contained in the Guidelines for Schools: Supporting Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools, available at.

The NCSE is also available to provide support and training around education planning for pupils with special educational needs. Further information is available from the NCSE www.ncse.ie.