Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education 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 vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.

For 2023, the spend by my Department on special education will be substantially increased by over 10% on last year, meaning that for 2023 my Department will spend over €2.6 billion on special education.

This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the Department’s total allocation for 2023.

This includes funding to support children with special educational needs in mainstream classes; funding for new special classes and new special school places; additional special educational teachers, special needs assistants (SNAs) and funding for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).

In 2023, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 686 teachers and a further 1,194 SNAs in our schools next year.

For the first time ever we will have over 19,000 teachers working in the area of special education and over 20,000 SNAs. Together we will have almost 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs.

The NCSE has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews.

SNAs play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs into mainstream education, special classes and special schools ensuring that these students can access education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.

SNAs are allocated to schools as a school based resource and not to individual children. 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.

The school can apply to the NCSE for a review of its SNA allocation if it is insufficient to meet the needs of its students. Detailed information on the NCSE exceptional review process is published on the NCSE website. www.ncse.ie/application-for-sna-exceptional-review.

The Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations and the school should liaise with the NCSE directly in the event that additional supports are required.

The NCSE manages the exceptional review process and handles each case individually.

Some review requests can be concluded as an office based exercise, whilst others require a visit to the school in order to observe the current deployment of SNA support in the school setting. As a result, the timeframe for concluding a review can vary depending on the school context or the nature of the information provided.

Following the outcome of the review, the NCSE can make the local special educational needs organiser (SENO) available to the school to discuss their current deployment of SNA supports and to put these supports to the best advantage of the students. NCSE in-school support is also available to schools to offer further guidance and support.

All schools have the contact details of their, local SENO and the SENO is available to offer assistance and advice to schools. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available the NCSE’s website.

I want to reassure you also that my Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:

Enabling children with special educational needs 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).

For 2023, the spend by my Department on special education will be substantially increased by over 10% on last year, meaning that for 2023 my Department will spend over €2.6 billion providing supports to children and young people with special educational needs and their schools.

This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the department’s total allocation for 2023.

This includes funding to support children with special educational needs in mainstream classes; funding for new special classes and new special school places; additional special educational teachers and special needs assistants.

The NCSE has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with SEN nationwide. Data on the number of children with special educational needs enrolled in special classes in mainstream schools and in special schools is collected by my Department and the NCSE.

In 2017 with the introduction of the new special education teacher allocation model (SET) the Department moved away from requiring a diagnosis to access educational supports in mainstream settings.

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. The Model is based on the principle that those students with the greatest need receive the most support.

The SET allocation model, including the data and indicators used to inform the distribution of SET resources, is currently being reviewed in advance of the 2024/25 school year, to ensure that these valuable resources are allocated fairly and transparently across our primary and post primary schools.

My Department and the NCSE will continue to review the type of data collected on an ongoing basis.