Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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317. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the inspection requirements of teachers concerning individual education plans. [13150/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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In 2017, the Department published Guidelines for primary and post-primary schools to support their work in meeting the needs of children with special educational needs. These Guidelines emphasise the importance of educational planning. This is in the context of ensuring that the children with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of support. The level of support required by a student will depend on the needs identified. To this end, supports may be provided for all students, for some students or for a few students. Tools such as the Student Support File, developed by the National educational Psychological Service (NEPS), are intended to equip schools to undertake such work.

At the level of the individual student, the plan which is put in place should be developed through a collaborative process involving relevant teachers, parents/guardians, the pupils themselves and external professionals, as necessary. The plan should include clear, measurable learning targets relating to priority learning needs, and specify the resources and interventions that will be used to address student needs in line with the Continuum of Support process. While class and subject teachers in primary and in post-primary schools retain overall responsibility for the provision of education to their students, in most instances special education teachers will lead and develop the student’s support plan. As outlined in the Guidelines for schools, by using the Student Support File and the Continuum of Support process effectively, special education teachers can be confident that the priorities they have identified for the students are appropriate to the needs and most likely to advance learning. The planning process for students should include regular reviews of learning targets as part of an ongoing cycle of assessment, target setting, intervention and review.

The Looking at our School 2016 quality framework, which is used to inform the work of inspectors as they monitor and report on quality in schools makes clear that inspectors review the quality of both teachers’ preparation and planning for teaching, and their teaching practice in light of the published Guidelines. The extent to which inspectors focus on plans for students varies depending on the focus of the inspection model in use in any inspection. For example, in conducting specialised evaluations of provision for children with special educational needs at either primary or post-primary levels, inspectors will have regard to, inter alia, the manner in which teachers’ plans, either for individuals or groups as appropriate, identify clear, relevant learning objectives that are contextualised to pupils’ learning needs and the extent to which those plans facilitate appropriate provision for the learners concerned.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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319. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is a requirement of teacher training colleges that education relating to individual education plans be provided to trainee teachers. [13152/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Under the Education Act 1998, schools are under statutory obligation to “provide education to students which is appropriate to their abilities and needs” and to “ensure that the educational needs of all students, including those with a disability or other special educational needs, are identified and provided for”.

Planning is a normal part of a teacher’s work and planning tools, like the student support file, have been created as a resource to help schools provide for their students.

Circulars 0013 and 0014 2017, which introduced the model for allocating special education teachers to schools, noted the importance of educational planning. This is in the context of ensuring that the children with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of support.

The Circulars note that educational planning is an essential element of a whole-school approach to meeting pupils’ needs.

Guidelines for schools on educational planning and monitoring of outcomes through the Student Support File, are contained in the Guidelines for Primary and Post primary Schools: Supporting Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools.

All schools are therefore encouraged to use Education Plans or Student Support plans for children who are receiving additional teaching or care in schools.

Whereas there is not currently a statutory requirement for schools to provide a particular form of Individual Education Plan, it is evident that the majority of schools do use some form of education planning to plan and record the support that they provide for pupils with special educational needs. This is considered to be both beneficial for schools and children and is regarded as best practice.

The ongoing provision of planning will represent a continuation of the good practice that is occurring in the majority of schools.

The Teaching Council is the statutory body with responsibility for professional standards and regulation of the teaching profession. Under Section 38 of the Teaching Council Act, all initial teacher education programmes are subject to review and accreditation by the Teaching Council, in accordance with the Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers (published in 2011 and revised in March 2017). In accordance with these Criteria and Guidelines, inclusive education is a mandatory component for all students in ITE.

The learning outcomes of ITE programmes also reflect the need for the teacher to be able to conduct a systematic, holistic assessment of learner needs; to apply knowledge of the individual potential of students, their disposition towards learning and their backgrounds, identities and learning styles to their teaching; to set clear, challenging and achievable expectations for pupils; to evaluate learner progress; to act as an advocate for students, referring students for educational support as required and participating in the provision of that support, amongst other relevant outcomes.

The Teaching Council is currently carrying out a review of the impact of the current programmes, with a view to amending the Criteria and Guidelines before the next round of accreditation commences in 2020.

A recently published report from the National Council for Special Education on Initial Teacher Education for Inclusion: Phase 1 and 2 (NCSE Research Report No. 26), found that there is in general much good practice related to inclusive education in ITE, particularly in relation to the fostering of positive attitudes to inclusion, while also noting that there is scope for further alignment between theory and practice, in particular between student placement and the university experience. These findings will be considered by the Teaching Council in the course of its work.