Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Enabling children with special educational needs (SEN) to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government.

It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my Department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

The Deputy will be aware that I have welcomed the Report of the Ombudsman on forward planning for special education placements and I am committed to working with stakeholders in relation to the implementation of the recommendations as quickly as possible.

Throughout the last year, the Department has had a very significant level of engagement with the OCO as this report was developed. 

The recommendations contained in the Report build on many of the strategic initiatives already put in place, particularly in the last 2 years, to support and expand special education needs (SEN) provision in schools throughout the country.  An additional 300 special classes have opened in the current school-year providing 1,800 new placements. A further 315 special classes are already planned for 2022/23. Two new special schools opened in Cork and Dublin last September with two further special schools to open in these areas during the next school-year.

 In 2022, we will spend over 25% of our total educational budget on providing additional supports for children with SEN. This represents an increase of over 60%, in total expenditure, since 2011.

We are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.

Continuing to add capacity in schools to support SEN provision is a key priority with a particular emphasis at post-primary level.

The Department’s Geographic Information Management System (GIS) will continue to support a strategic and coordinated approach to planning and delivery of SEN provision. This includes “real-time” data on capacity across the school system.

The Department is working actively with the NCSE and other key stakeholders including School Patrons and Management Bodies to provide additional special classes and special school places for the 2022/23 school year.

The NCSE policy advice on special class and special school provision is due later this year and this will be significant in terms of how the Department plans for any changes to the way in which children and young people with SEN are supported.

My officials are also working with the Department of Health, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE to develop and strengthen more coherent structures to enable children and young people to access therapeutic assessments and supports.

NCSE will continue to provide a wide range of training supports to schools, including in-school support with targeted and bespoke supports available to the management and staff of new special classes and new special schools.

The Deputy will also be aware that my Department has actively engaged in reviewing and updating the relevant legislation at this time. Earlier this week the Government approved the text of an Education (Provision in Respect of Children with Special Educational Needs) Bill 2022. This legislation provides for a truncated and more streamlined Section 37A process and also places additional duties on schools to co-operate with the NCSE in relation to making additional provision for children with special educational needs.

I can assure the Deputy that every support will be made available to progress additional special education capacity, in the shortest possible timeframe.