Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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 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, the 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 there will be 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 including the allocation of SNAs and reviews.

The SET allocation model for 2024/25 distributes the total available number of special education teacher posts in line with each school’s profile of need. The model makes an allocation on the basis of a number of inputs, including enrolment numbers. It also uses school-level data from standardised tests in order to reflect relative levels of overall needed.

It seeks to distribute teaching resources in the fairest possible manner, taking into account as much evidence as possible in respect of individual schools and evidence in respect of the best possible use of resources. Of schools across the country, 67 % of schools have either increased their allocation or retained their previous allocation. Of those schools whose allocation has been decreased, 70 % of these schools have reduced their hours by 5 hours or less.

The department acknowledges that every school is different, and that schools can experience unique circumstances that may be difficult to reflect in any standardised method. This is always a challenge when we seek to make allocations in respect of 4,000 schools. It is for this reason that we have also streamlined the review process for Special Education Teachers and schools who feel that they have received an inappropriate allocation can make this application to the NCSE.

The department is cognisant that it is possible that unique circumstances may present in a school which could require an urgent review. In such circumstances, the school may apply for this process through the NCSE. Reviews will be conducted by the NCSE, between March and May each year, to better enable schools to plan for the following September.

Appendix 1 of Circular 002/2024 & 003/2024 clarifies what constitutes unique circumstances and provides further information on the SET Review process.

Application forms for schools to apply for a SET Review were available on the NCSE website from the week commencing the 19th February 2024.The NCSE have been accepting applications for SET Reviews from the 1st March 2024 with a closing date for applications of SET Reviews on the 22nd March. As the closing date was the Friday before Easter break, the NCSE have left the portal open and will accept any late applications submitted by Schools up to Friday the 12th April when the portal will close. All schools must submit their completed application forms through the online portal on the NCSE website.

Where a school believes that they have insufficient resources to support needs in the school, they school should make contact with their local Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO) to discuss the matter.