James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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241. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to make the July Provision compulsory; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23941/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Earlier this month, the Government announced this year's Summer Programme to allow all primary and post-primary schools to offer a summer programme for students with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage.

The programme aims are to support pupils to maintain their connection with education, to build their confidence and increase their motivation, promote well-being and for those who are at key transition stages, helping to ensure they continue their education journey in September either in school or in further/higher education or training.

Building on the 2021 programme, all primary and post primary schools can offer a summer programme and in line with last year’s funding, there is up to €40 million available to provide for this year’s programme. In 2021 nearly 38,000 children availed of the summer programme, an increase of 60% from the previous year.

A key objective of this year’s scheme is to increase the number of schools offering the summer programme to their students. Steps have been taken to afford schools as much flexibility as possible, and to ease administrative requirements. This year there is provision to recruit newly qualified teachers graduating this summer as well as undergraduate student teachers who have registered with the Teaching Council under Route 5.

To support and facilitate schools and principals with organising and running the programme, the 2022 Summer Programme allows principals to delegate these functions to other members of staff through the Overseer role and preparation hours. The Overseer and preparation roles provide an exciting personal opportunity for teachers to develop their leadership skills and experience with recognition at a whole-school level.

Enhanced measures have been put in place to encourage participation of schools. These include:

- A Centralised Application Process to reduce the administrative burden on schools.

- Provision of funding to schools towards preparation and overseeing of the programmes.

- Provision to recruit final year student teachers graduating this summer and Route 5 undergraduate student teachers.

- Guidance, information and support provided to schools to help design and deliver the programmes.

- Capitation Grant Funding provided to cover the running costs of the scheme, including enhanced capitation for special schools and classes.

This year, for the first time, there will be an online claims system for schools to submit payments details for those staff taking part in the school based summer programme. This will provide for faster and more streamlined payments to staff.

In addition, with the assistance of the National Association of Management Boards in Special Schools (NAMBSE), the Department and Inspectorate recently hosted a webinar for Special Schools and provided a presentation on the supports and benefits of running a school based summer programme. The presentation focused on the positive outcomes for students that participated in the 2021 programme.

Participation in the scheme is voluntary and is therefore a matter for the Board of Management of a school whether or not it will participate in the programme in any given year. Furthermore, the Department cannot compel schools to participate in the programme.

While the number of special schools and classes taking part has risen over the last 2 years we want to continue this growth in participation further. The Department will continue to work with all stakeholders to support parents in accessing summer provision and with schools to ensure that they have the resources and supports necessary to successfully run these programmes.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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242. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the HP Index data that is used in relation to the social context criteria for the special education teaching hours allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23967/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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As outlined in Circulars 20/2022 and 21/2022, the data which is being used to update the disadvantage component of the school profiles is the same data which has been used for the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Identification Model.

This data is the Central Statistics Office (CSO) Small Area data, as represented in the Haase Pratschke Index of Deprivation (HP Index).

The key data source for primary schools is the Primary Online Database (POD) and CSO data from the National Census of Population as represented in the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas, which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area.

This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools.

The use of the HP Index in the context of educational disadvantage is consistent with its use in the DEIS identification process and also its use across a range of Government Departments and agencies.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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243. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason that a school (details supplied) was refused special education teaching hours given that it has DEIS school status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23968/22]

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 SET allocation model has been in place since 2017.The allocation model, which was recommended by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), is designed to distribute the total available number of Special Education Teachers across primary and post primary schools based on the relative need of each school, as evidenced by a number of key indicators.

Special Education Teachers provide additional teaching support for students with special educational needs enrolled in mainstream classes in primary and post primary schools.

The SET model is a fairer and more transparent way of allocating teaching resources to schools.

The number of teaching posts to support the SET model continues to increase. Budget 2022 provided an additional 620 new SET posts for allocation to primary and post primary schools in 2022/23. This will bring the total number of SETs in the system to 14,385.

The SET Model represented a significant shift in the way that students with SEN are supported in mainstream classes. Previously, students needing additional teaching support required a diagnosis in order to access support which caused delays in providing the support and also imposed a burden on both schools and parents. The change in policy was welcomed by both schools and parents. The Model is based on the principle that those students with the greatest need receive the most support.

The model encourages schools to support students with SEN in mainstream classes alongside their peers. In fact most students with SEN are enrolled these classes. This approach is also consistent with the EPSEN Act.

When the SET model was introduced it was designed to be updated on a regular basis so as to distribute the total available resources across the school system based on profiled need. Because the level of student need may change in a school over time, some schools will gain under this distribution, with these gains balanced by equivalent reductions in schools where the model indicates reduced need. Re-profiling is the means of ensuring that new or increasing need in schools is met by transfer/redistribution of teaching resources from other schools whose need has reduced as shown by the model.

Schools are front-loaded 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 2022/23 school year.

Schools who qualify for additional mainstream developing school posts in accordance with these criteria also qualify for additional Special Education Teaching Allocations to take account of this developing status.

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.

If a school wishes to make an exceptional needs review appeal they may do so at the following link: ncse.ie/for-schools