Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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465. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when an appointment for a SENO will be made (details supplied); the temporary measures that are in place to deal with queries in this area from parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8299/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Department does not manage the recruitment of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs). As the SENOs are employees of the NCSE, it is the NCSE who is responsible for the recruitment and operational management of the SENOs.

Accordingly, I am referring your question to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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467. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to an application by a school (details supplied) for an additional SNA allocation; if the request will be granted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8322/22]

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.

The Special Needs Assistant (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 light of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the introduction of the new Frontloaded Allocation Model for SNAs 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.

In order to minimise disruption for schools and to provide for continuity of allocations the following arrangements were made for the allocation of Special Needs Assistants for mainstream classes for the 2021/22 school year:

- Existing mainstream class SNA allocations in schools on 30 April 2021 were maintained and automatically rolled over into the 2021/22 school year.

- No school received an allocation less than that which they had on 30 April 2021.

- SNAs in mainstream settings continued in post for the current school year in the normal way.

- As in previous years, where circumstances change during the course of the 2021/22 school year that materially increase the level of care need in a school to the extent that the school can clearly demonstrate that it cannot be met within the existing SNA allocation, the school may apply to the NCSE for a review. Detailed information on the NCSE exceptional review process is published on the NCSE website ncse.ie/for-schools.

The NCSE have published the SNA allocations on their website www.ncse.ie.

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

Circular 0029/2021 has been published and advises schools of the arrangements for the allocation of SNAs for the 2021/22 school year.

Provisions set out in Circular 0030/2020 has been extended for the 2021/22 school year.

Circulars 29/2021 and 30/2020 are available on the Gov.ie website www.gov.ie/en/circulars/?organisation=department-of-education.

With regards to the school as outlined in the details supplied, the NCSE have confirmed that on 28/01/2022 it received through its online portal an application from the school, for an SNA Exceptional Review. The application has been acknowledged by the NCSE. The application will be examined and the outcome of the review will issue to the school in due course.

My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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469. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8340/22]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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470. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8341/22]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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471. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8342/22]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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472. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8343/22]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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473. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8344/22]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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474. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8345/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 469 to 474, inclusive, together.

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.

This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide.

It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.

Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes.

The NCSE through their network of SENOs (Special Educational Needs Organisers) are currently engaged in a process of establishing new classes for the 2022/2023 school year and beyond. They are looking at local information in relation to projected demand for future special class places.

The local SENOs remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at: ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list.

As the Deputy's queries refer to individual schools, I will arrange to have them referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.

I should clarify, however, that the NCSE does not maintain waiting lists for schools. Boards of management of individual schools are responsible for such enrolment matters.