Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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165. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the process for the allocation of SNAs for 2021-2022; when the guidance circular is due to be issued; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25040/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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In light of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the introduction of the new Frontloaded Allocation Model for Special Needs Assistants for students in mainstream classes in primary and post -primary schools is to be deferred for a further year to the beginning of the 2022/23 school year.

The disruption prevented the delivery of the necessary training and information workshops to support the roll out of the new allocation model which had been planned for earlier this year.

The training and workshops are designed to help school leaders and teachers in their in-school planning for the new model and their engagement with parents. These sessions will now be rescheduled to take place during the 2021/22 school year. Further information will be issued by the NCSE in due course.

SNA allocations for 2021/22 school year will be based on the actual number of SNAs employed by a school on 30 April 2021 and the allocation on that date will be rolled over into 2021/22. No school will receive a reduced allocation.

As in previous years, there will be provision for schools to apply to the NCSE for additionality where exceptional circumstances give rise to new care needs that cannot be catered for within existing allocations. These posts will be met from within the existing Budget 2021 allocation.

SNA allocations for 2021/22 will be published later this month as in previous years.

SNA allocations for special classes and special schools are not affected by this arrangement.

My Department will also be publishing a circular this month to advise schools of the arrangements for the allocation of SNAs for the 2021/22 school year.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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166. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports available to a student (details supplied) who is not in receipt of guidance for SNA support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25041/21]

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.

The SNA scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.

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 for whom SNA support has been allocated.

It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.

In December 2019, Government approved the national roll out of a new frontloading model for the allocation of SNAs support to primary and post-primary schools for students in mainstream classes, as part of the phased roll out of the School Inclusion Model (SIM).

In light of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the introduction of the new Frontloaded Allocation Model for Special Needs Assistants for students in mainstream classes in primary and post -primary schools is to be deferred for a further year to the beginning of the 2022/23 school year.

The disruption prevented the delivery of the necessary training and information workshops to support the roll out of the new allocation model which had been planned for earlier this year.

The training and workshops are designed to help school leaders and teachers in their in-school planning for the new model and their engagement with parents. These sessions will now be rescheduled to take place during the 2021/22 school year. Further information will be issued by the NCSE in due course.

SNA allocations for 2021/22 school year will be based on the actual number of SNAs employed by a school on 30 April 2021 and the allocation on that date will be rolled over into 2021/22. No school will receive a reduced allocation.

SNA allocations for 2021/22 will be published later this month as in previous years.

My Department will also be publishing a circular this month to advise schools of the arrangements for the allocation of SNAs for the 2021/22 school year.

Providing access to SNA support continues to be based on primary care needs as outlined in DES Circular 0030/2014.

SNA allocations for special classes and special schools are not affected by this arrangement.

As in previous years, where schools consider their SNA allocation to be inadequate to meet its needs for the 2021/22 school year, the school can seek a review by making an application to the NCSE which is available to schools throughout the current school year.

Schools may apply to the NCSE for additionality where they can demonstrate that the current allocation does not meet additional care needs within the mainstream classes in the school. Applications for additionality arising from significant new or emerging additional care needs, which cannot be catered within existing allocations, are dealt with by way of the exceptional review process.

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

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

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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167. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 173 of 18 February 2021, her plans to carry out a review of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004; the timeline for the review; the person or body that will carry out the review; the terms of reference for the review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25104/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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A number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 have been commenced. The commenced provisions include those establishing the NCSE and those providing for an inclusive approach to the education of children with SEN.

The remaining sections of the Act have yet to be commenced. The Sections of the EPSEN Act which have not been implemented are those which would have conferred a statutory entitlement to –

- an educational assessment for all children with special educational needs.

- consequent development of a statutory individual educational plan (IEP).

- the delivery of detailed educational services on foot of this plan.

- an independent appeals process.

Since EPSEN was enacted, the Department’s policy on supporting children with special educational needs has changed and evolved on foot of evidence based policy advice from the NCSE which takes account of international perspectives.

Significantly, the focus of special needs education provision has changed from a model that is diagnosis led to one which is driven by the needs of the child. This is a substantially different view to the one underlying the EPSEN Act. The levels of investment by Government in special education has increased to facilitate the underlying reforms required to implement and embed the needs based approach.

It is therefore appropriate that a review of the EPSN Act should now take place.

As Minister for Special Education and Inclusion, I have indicated that one of my priorities is:

Updating our Laws: Reviewing and updating the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act

The review of the Act will take into account the extent of additional investment which has been made in special educational services since 2004, with some €2bn per year now being spent of special educational supports.

It will also take into account the range of reforms which have taken place in recent years including the development of new allocation models which are not based primarily on a response to assessment as policy advice has indicated that requirement of diagnosis can create a risk of children being diagnosed as having a special educational need for resource allocation purposes, rather than for health reasons. Also, that as there is a spectrum of ability and disability within every special education disability category, account must be taken of need, as well as diagnosis.

The terms of reference for this review are currently being established, following which, the group or body which will carry out the review, and the timeline for the review, will also be agreed.