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 has been 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. The NCSE has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs.

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

It should be noted that SNAs are allocated to schools as a school based resource and 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 within these settings to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.

My department can provide an update on the school previously referred to and I am pleased to advise that approval under the Additional School Accommodation scheme has issued to the school for the provision of a 1 x special education reconfiguration.

The project is being delivered under my department’s Devolved SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation programme. This programme provides project management supports to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and helps to ease the administrative workload for individual schools in relation to the management and delivery of the project.

Given complexities it’s not possible to give an expected completion date at this time. The overall construction sector environment is challenging and my department and the project management company are doing everything possible to ensure that the accommodation is delivered as quickly as possible.

In relation to the Home Tuition Grant Scheme, home tuition can be provided as an interim measure for children where a placement in a recognised school is sought but not available. It is not, and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement.

The purpose of the scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement where such a placement is not readily available.

In regards to the pupil referred to, an application for home tuition was received on the 8 of September, and a letter of eligibility for home tuition was issued to the parent by email on the 13 of September. Per the eligibility letter issued, the pupil is eligible for 20 hours home tuition per week. The parent must source an appropriately qualified tutor/tutors in accordance with the terms of section 3 of the home tuition circular 0024/2023.

My department does not keep lists of tutors available to carry out home tuition, however, it may be helpful to contact local schools in the first instance. Alternatively, the department is aware that many parents use education provider websites to advertise for tutors or indeed place advertisements in local newspapers or on shop/community notice boards. Additionally, the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) has created a home tuition noticeboard to help parents source suitable candidates. This noticeboard is available on www.educationposts.ie.

My department and the NCSE 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.