Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Assessment of Need (AON) is a statutory process under the Disability Act (2005) whereby the Health Service Executive (HSE) reports on the health and education needs of a child/young person. The provision of Guidelines for the assessment of needs process is a matter for the HSE.

With regards to the education aspect, if within the AON process the HSE Assessment Officer forms the opinion there may be a need for an education service to be provided to an applicant, they will request the NCSE to nominate persons with the appropriate expertise to assist in carrying out the assessment of education needs. The NCSE is obliged to nominate a person with appropriate expertise to assist in the carrying out of the assessment of education needs. Where the child is enrolled in a school, the Education of Persons with Special Education Needs Act (EPSEN) 2004 identifies the principal as one of the person(s) the NCSE can nominate. In turn, the principal may nominate a teacher in the school to assist in carrying out an assessment of education needs.

The NCSE provides comprehensive supports for schools as outlined as follows:

• Detailed guidance
• An FAQ document
• Email support at aon@ncse.ie
• Phone support or further access to online and in person specialist support

NCSE have specialist trained advisors to aid in the completion of the education assessment. The education assessment report is returned to the HSE where the HSE Assessment Officer will compile and finalise the AON report .

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for the question.

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.

In 2023, my department spent over €2.6 billion on special education and further progress will be made this year as an additional €113m will be dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs.

The following table outlines the growth in Special education Teachers in mainstream classes

Year	No of SET teachers (Mainstream classes only)
2020	13,529
2021	13,620
2022	13,765
2023	14385
2024	14,590

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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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.

In 2023, my department spent over €2.6 billion on special education and further progress will be made this year as an additional €113 million will be dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs.

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 2024, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 744 teachers and 1,216 SNAs added to deliver up to 2,700 new places for children with special educational needs. This will mean we will have over 41,500 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.

Over the last number of years, my department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places.

These initiatives are bearing fruit with almost 1,300 new special classes sanctioned and seven new special schools established over the last four years.

My department engage intensely with the NCSE in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. This forward planning work is well underway ahead of the 2024/25 school year. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class places, an analysis of available school accommodation, consideration of improved data sharing arrangements and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary level.

As a result of this forward planning, two new special schools have been established for this current school year in Cork and Dublin, with further capacity being expanded in 11 other special schools.

In December 2023, I was also very happy to announce with my colleague Minister Foley, the establishment of a further four new special schools for the 2024/25 school year in Meath, Kildare, Wexford and Limerick. This will bring to 11 the number of new special schools established in recent years.

Along with the two new special schools opening this school year, 390 new special classes – 254 at primary and 136 at post-primary level – have been sanctioned by the NCSE for opening this current school year.

As demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the next few years, due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates, my department and the NCSE have engaged with post-primary stakeholders in relation to the provision of special classes.

My department has communicated to all post-primary schools of the need to begin planning to provide additional special classes. It is envisaged that all post-primary schools will be required to provide special classes over the next 2 to 4 years, with an approximate average of 4 special classes in each school.

The following table provides a breakdown of special classes for the school years 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24:

School Year	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
Primary level	1,323	1,545	1,808	2,048
Post-Primary level	517	608	742	873
Total	1,840	2,153	2,550	2,921

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

Information on the list of schools with special classes, the types and locations of these classes is published on the NCSE website and is available at: www.ncse.ie/special-classes.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements will be available for children for this school year and future years.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 391 and 392 together.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of Special needs Organisers (SENOs), for fulfilling the functions of the Council within a designated area in relation to the identification of and delivery and co-ordination of education services to children with disabilities.

The Council employs SENOs to provide a nationwide system of local services. Locally based SENOs consult widely with parents/guardians, teachers, health care professionals, school authorities, HSE and other relevant government agencies.

It is a priority that the NCSE is properly resourced to have a visible and effective presence in our schools and to guide and support our parents and children on their educational journey. In Budget 2023, the government provided an additional €13 million for the expansion of services within the NCSE. This will mean an increase of up to 161 additional staff in the organisation, a workforce increase of 50%. Within this, provision has been made to increase the number of SENOs nationally by 47, to give a total SENO complement of 120. These SENOs will be organised and targeted into the areas of greatest need and organised on a county basis.

The first intake of new SENO grades has already commenced and 12 additional SENOs joined in February. There will also be a further 20 SENO posts added by end March and an additional 20 posts added by the end of May. The recruitment process allows for training, induction, back-filling and the equitable distribution of cases on a county basis to new SENOs, without disrupting existing service to schools & children.

Cork City and county fall under South West Team 1 which currently comprises of 7 SENOs and a team manager. The recent SENO recruitment competition has led to the NCSE extending offers of employment to a further 2 SENOs for this area with more to follow in the coming weeks. East Cork fall under South West Team 2 which currently has 8 SENOs and a team manager.

Should any vacancy arise, a SENO point of contact is assigned to the area to assist schools, parents, and local services until the position is filled. Essential services are maintained through cover provided from available staffing resources. Parents should consult the regional contact list on the NCSE website to ensure they have the most up-to-date contact details of their SENO, or the SENO covering for their area.

The following is breakdown of serving SENOs from 2020 to 2024.

YEAR	NUMBER OF SERVING SENOS
2020	67
2021	61
2022	65.5
2023	67
2024 (as of March 24)	81

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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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.

In 2023, my department spent over €2.6 billion on special education and further progress will be made this year as an additional €113 million will be dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs.

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 2024, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 744 teachers and 1,216 SNAs added to deliver up to 2,700 new places for children with special educational needs. This will mean we will have over 41,500 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.

Over the last number of years, my department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places.

These initiatives are bearing fruit with almost 1,300 new special classes sanctioned and seven new special schools established over the last four years.

My department engage intensely with the NCSE in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. This forward planning work is well underway ahead of the 2024/25 school year. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class places, an analysis of available school accommodation, consideration of improved data sharing arrangements and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary level.

As a result of this forward planning, two new special schools have been established for this current school year in Cork and Dublin, with further capacity being expanded in 11 other special schools.

In December 2023, I was also very happy to announce with my colleague Minister Foley, the establishment of a further four new special schools for the 2024/25 school year in Meath, Kildare, Wexford and Limerick. This will bring to 11 the number of new special schools established in recent years.

Along with the two new special schools opening this school year, 390 new special classes – 254 at primary and 136 at post-primary level – have been sanctioned by the NCSE for opening this current school year.

Parents have the right to choose the school they wish their child to enrol. Enrolments to schools are a matter for each board of management and parents apply directly to schools, therefore, my department does not hold records in relation to the information requested by the Deputy.

Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes. The local special educational needs organisers (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: www.ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements will be available for children for this school year and future years.