Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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133. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the difficulties new and developing schools are facing in accessing special educational supports. [57262/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile.

Under the allocation model, schools have been provided with a total allocation for special education needs support based on their school profile.

The provision of a profiled allocation is designed to give a fair allocation for each school which recognises that all schools need an allocation for special needs support, but which provides a graduated allocation which takes into account the level of need in each school.

Schools are frontloaded with resources, based on each school’s profile. The allocations to schools include provision to support all pupils in the schools, including where a child receives a diagnosis after the allocation is received by a school, or where there are newly enrolling pupils to the school.

Both the Department and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) are committed to ensuring that all schools are treated equally and fairly in the manner in which their school profiles have been calculated.

Accordingly, a number of review processes have been put in place to support schools.

A process is in place to address circumstances where the school profile significantly changed following the allocation process e.g. a developing school where the net enrolment numbers significantly increased.

The criteria for qualification for mainstream school developing school posts are set out in the Primary and Post Primary School Staffing Schedule for the 2021/22 school year.

Schools who qualify for projected enrolment posts will also qualify for additional SET allocations as follows:

- an additional 3 hours per week of SET teaching support will be provided for a school’s first developing post, and

- 5 hours per week for each post thereafter, for schools with 1 or more developing posts

It is also acknowledged that there are some circumstances, which may arise in schools, which fall outside the allocations for developing school status.

These relate to exceptional or emergency circumstances which could not have been anticipated e.g. where the school profile changes very significantly, or where other exceptional circumstances have arisen in a school and which may require a review of schools capacity to provide additional teaching support for all pupils who need it in the school, or of their utilisation of their allocations.

A process is available where schools can seek a review of their allocations by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), including the utilisation of their allocations, in circumstances where a school considers that very exceptional circumstances have arisen subsequent to the development of the profile.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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134. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the pilot programme for delivering therapeutic services to a group of preschools and schools has been a success; if the model will be rolled out to other areas in the near future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57201/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The School Inclusion Model (SIM) is based on policy advice from the National Council for Special Education based on the principle of providing the right support at the right time delivered by a range of personnel with relevant qualifications and skill-sets. Its purpose is to help students achieve better outcomes. Independent evaluation is a central part of the project and the outcome will inform future policy on extending the SIM. The project includes a number of elements:

- Provision of in-school therapies (speech and language, occupational)

- Allocation of SNAs on a frontloaded basis

- Additional professional supports for the school including psychology, behavioural and professional development

- Training of SNAs

In February 2019, the Government approved the trialling of the Model for the 2019/20 school year. Initially designed as a one year pilot involving up to 75 participating schools in the CHO 7 region, it was interrupted by Covid-19 with the closure of schools and the diversion of HSE therapists from the project to Covid related work. It was then extended to the 2020/21 school year which has also been interrupted by Covid.

Progress has been made on aspects of the Model but much remains to be done in terms of in-school implementation and evaluation.

The Pilot has now recommenced in CHO7 and planning for an expansion to two other areas is underway at present.

My Department is consulting with relevant Departments including Taoiseach, Heath and Children and I expect a Memorandum will be brought to Government shortly.