Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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557. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a further SNA allocation will be facilitated in the case of a school (details supplied) in view of the fact the current allocation is insufficient to manage four pupils who require full-time support throughout the school day; if an exceptional request will be facilitated in view of the health and safety requirements of the children involved including one being a flight risk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21963/20]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations.

SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management of the school. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school.

The NCSE have advised that an Exceptional Review application was received by the NCSE in May 2020. The outcome of the application issued to the school in June advising that the 19/20 allocation is being retained by the school for the 20/21 school year. The school submitted an appeal on 17 July 2020.

Due to the extraordinary times we are in and the Covid pandemic, the SENOs are working to the best of their ability to liaise with each school that logged an appeal, the appeal for Newtown National School has been assigned to an Appeals Officer who will process same and bring it through to completion.

The exceptional review process for mainstream allocations will be available to schools throughout the 2020/21 school year.

Detailed information on the NCSE exceptional review process is published on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.

A school can appeal the outcome of an exceptional review and details of how to do this are here