Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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308. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she can explain the serious cut to the special education teacher allocation hours in a school (details supplied), based on high standardised assessment results achieved by the school overall, despite increasing enrolment numbers and no reduction in students with additional education requirements, and risking the positive outcomes that the school has achieved in this area to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16317/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for question raised.

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers.

The Special Education Teaching (SET) allocation model for 2024/25 is based on information from all 4,000 schools in the country. The model distributes the total available number of SET posts in line with each school’s profile of need.

The model 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. Schools must adhere to the guidance on the use of SET hours and support all children with additional teaching needs using the continuum of support framework.

The revised model is providing an annual allocation of SET teaching hours, using the best possible available data sources and is ensuring that the right resource is available at the right time to meet the needs of children with special educational needs. Schools have autonomy to deploy those resources to meet the needs of their students. In this regard it is important to note that 67% of all schools saw their allocation increase or remain the same, whereas 33% saw a reduction in hours. Of those schools who saw a reduction in hours 90% was a result of falling enrolment.

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 making allocations in respect of 4,000 schools. It is for this reason that the Department, working with the NCSE has streamlined the review process for special education teaching hours and schools who have any concerns can engage with the NCSE on their allocation.

Reviews are being conducted by the NCSE, between March and May, to better enable schools to plan for the following September. An internal NCSE review panel will consider the application ensuring that the school have clearly evidenced that the overall level of special education teaching allocation in this school does not have capacity to meet this additional identified need.

Additional resources will be provided to schools in cases where the NCSE have identified that this is required.

This review process has now commenced with reviews being considered on a weekly basis with first priority given to schools who are developing or rapidly developing. A total of 218 applications have been received from schools.

A weekly process for consideration of submitted reviews is in place between the department and the NCSE so that schools can be advised at the earliest opportunity.

The first tranche of 32 schools were contacted the week of the 8th April to advise of additional allocations following review. On the recommendation of the NCSE my department has allocated a total of 427.5 additional Special Education Teaching hours to this first tranche of schools. Depending on the profile of the school the additional allocation ranges from 2.5 hours to 27.5 hours per school. The average additional allocation for this first tranche of schools is 13.5 hours.

It is important to note that SET hours are only one component of support for children in mainstream but the most important support is the mainstream class teacher. The pupil teacher ratio at primary level is now 23:1 which means there are more mainstream teachers than ever before in our educational system.

In relation to the specific school mentioned in the question I can confirm that department officials have contacted the NCSE and the NCSE has confirmed that the school has made a review application through their portal. The NCSE have further advised that they will be in contact with the school to progress the schools request for review shortly.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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309. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason some schools that have offered to open ASD classes in south Tipperary have not been sanctioned despite the huge demand (details supplied); if she will review this position to ensure that all schools offering classes will be approved in order to ensure supply and forward planning for growing demand for ASD classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16319/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, 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 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 2024, €2.7 billion is being spent on special education an increase of €113 million and this is dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs. This will allow for, amongst other things, the opening of up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools and 300 additional special school places.

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 these children.

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 under way 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 addition, four new special schools will be established for the 2024/25 school year in counties 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, 391 new special classes – 255 at primary and 136 at post-primary level – have been sanctioned by the NCSE.

Of these 14 are in County Tipperary, 5 at primary level and 9 at post-primary level. This brings to 120 the number of special classes in Tipperary, 76 at primary level and 44 at post-primary level. The vast majority of these class are autism classes and have a teacher/student ratio of 1:6.

Planning for special classes and special school places is currently underway ahead of the 2024/25 school year. The locations of the special classes will be confirmed by the NCSE shortly.

It is of course open to any school to engage with the NCSE to establish a special class and every school who express such an interest is to be commended.

However, it may not be possible for the NCSE to sanction a new special class in every school that expresses an interest.

The NCSE has statutory responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs. The NCSE have advised my Department that they are engaging closely with schools across the country, including schools in the Cahir school planning area, to open sufficient special classes to meet the needs of children with special educational needs.

The NCSE advise my Department, that they have sanctioned 2 additional special classes in the local school planning area ahead of the coming school year. There are 8 existing special classes at primary level in the local school planning area, including one in the school referred to by the Deputy.

The NCSE advise my Department that they will continue to monitor student placement need in the area. Local NCSE Management is actively engaging with schools in the area to ensure sufficient places for children are being established. Whilst schools with available accommodation are being engaged with, the need for additional classes in schools like the school referred to by the Deputy remains an active ongoing consideration and NCSE Senior management is in contact with the school on issues specific to their individual context. As the demand for placement at local level is being verified, both for students new to education and for those within existing mainstream classes, NCSE will be in contact with all relevant schools.

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. Local SENOs are available to assist and advise the 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.

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 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.