Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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72. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current training provided for teachers in disabilities and difference; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27465/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Under Section 38 of the Teaching Council Act, all initial teacher education programmes must be accredited by the Teaching Council for registration purposes. The Council reviewed its policy on standards for programmes of initial teacher education and published updated standards in Céim Standards for Initial Teacher Education in October 2020.

Céim includes seven Core Elements which shall underpin all aspects of programmes of ITE. One of these is inclusive education, which is defined as follows:

The term inclusive education refers to any aspect of teachers’ learning aimed at improving their capacity to address and respond to the diversity of learners’ needs; to enable their participation in learning; and remove barriers to education through the accommodation and provision of appropriate structures and arrangements to enable each learner to achieve the maximum benefit from his/her attendance at school.

The Council’s view of a truly inclusive approach to professional practice recognises that teachers encounter a diverse range of needs in the course of their teaching, regardless of setting. This will include additional learning needs (e.g. autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia) and learning needs associated with diverse linguistic, socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic (including Traveller community, Roma) backgrounds.

By delineating these as Core Elements, the Council has taken a high-level approach to ensuring that they inform every aspect of programme design. All new and existing ITE programmes have been realigned with Céim for first year student teachers as of September 2022. 52 ITE programmes across 14 HEI (higher education institution) providers have recently completed the accreditation process under the new standards through the Teaching Council.

My Department published a Policy Statement for Initial Teacher Education in March 2023 which looks to build on progress made over the past decade and sets out our commitment to ensuring that student teachers at primary and post-primary level have the skills to support all of our children and young people as learners in the years ahead. It has a phased implementation plan which includes actions to progress its vision. There are a number of actions which focus on inclusive education, one of these is to explore how the core element of inclusive education in Céim is helping to prepare student teachers to teach students of all abilities and in all settings (including special-education settings), through their initial teacher education. The Teaching Council will provide a report on standards, quality and good practice in initial teacher education, based on findings from the cycle of accreditation of all initial teacher education programmes, with particular emphasis on the core element of inclusive education in Summer 2024.

Teachers undertake professional learning in a range of pedagogical, curricular and educational areas. Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) provided for teachers supports the inclusion of students with Special Education Needs (SEN) in mainstream classrooms.

On an annual basis, the Department of Education provides funding for two distinct categories of post-graduate programmes for Special Education Teachers:

• Post-Graduate Diploma Programme of Teacher Professional Learning for Special Education Teachers.

Through its everyday work, the NCSE aligns its teacher professional learning (TPL) with the Teaching Council’s national framework for teacher professional learning. One of the main aims of the NCSE is to support teachers and schools in a way that builds capacity, supports the inclusion of all children, including students with special educational needs, at a whole school level. NCSE employs a number of specialist roles to support schools and build teacher capacity in areas of concern. These roles include autism advisors and behaviour advisors, who are assigned across regional support teams to provide advice, support and resources to schools.

The NCSE offers bespoke in-school support for either whole school staff, small groups, or individual teachers. The support can be tailored to specific TPL needs within a school, such as, in the areas of differentiation, planning, autism and behaviour.

The department is committed to the training and support of teachers and school leaders to provide quality, inclusive teaching. The department will continue to work with partners in education to provide a comprehensive range of in-service TPL opportunities that allows those working at all levels of education, to access supports which will benefit all learners, including those with autism.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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73. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to expand the curriculum to include education on disabilities and difference among peers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27466/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to inclusive education for all. It is the aim of the Department that every child has access to equitable education and that each learner feels safe and happy in the school environment, at every stage. It is essential that schools are places of openness and welcome for all students irrespective of their background, gender, or ethnicity. They are places of inclusion.

Within school communities, the Wellbeing curriculum plays a central role in supporting children's learning 'about' and 'for' well-being, fostering inclusive learning environments based on human rights, equality and anti-discrimination principles. The curriculum fosters a perspective in which children not only perceive themselves and others as unique individuals but also as integral members of communities and society. By instilling a commitment to actively advocate for fairness and inclusivity, the curriculum recognises children as empowered citizens who play an active role in building equitable and inclusive classrooms, schools, communities and societies.

Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory curriculum subject in all primary schools and in post-primary junior cycle. SPHE is one of the pillars of the Well-being curriculum in our schools.

The SPHE curriculum strives to foster an understanding and appreciation of all children and young people. Through the curriculum objectives, our children and young people are supported to develop self-confidence and a positive sense of self, and to appreciate and respect the human and cultural diversity that exists in society. To this end, the curriculum aims to foster in the learner a sense of care and respect for himself/herself and others and an appreciation of the dignity of every human being.

The SPHE curriculum supports teachers in adopting an approach that is inclusive in accordance with principles of equality, human rights and responsibilities. This ensures that all students can see themselves, their families and their communities reflected across the learning and can learn to value diversity as a feature of humankind and as a source of enrichment. SPHE thus contributes to building a cohesive, compassionate and fair society; one that is inclusive of all sexualities, ethnicities, genders, religious beliefs/worldviews, social classes and abilities/disabilities.

In the context of social, economic, cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, the SPHE curriculum seeks to foster in the learner attitudes and behaviour that are characterised by understanding, empathy, and mutual respect. It addresses, too, the issues of equity and human rights, and fosters in the child the realisation that rights have associated responsibilities. Concepts of empathy, respect and inclusiveness are nurtured through the learning experiences offered and through the attitudes and practices inherent in the organisational structures of the class and the school. One of the aims of the SPHE curriculum is to enable the learner to respect human and cultural diversity and to appreciate and understand the interdependent nature of the world.

Following a public consultation by the NCCA, an updated SPHE specification was introduced for Junior Cycle from last September. The learning outcomes include that students should be able to ‘recognise the factors and influences that shape young people’s self-identity, such as family, peers, culture, gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnic background, dis/abilities, religious beliefs/world-views’, to ‘discuss experiences/situations of bias, inequality or exclusion and devise ways to actively create more inclusive environments’, and to ‘reflect on the meaning and importance of empathy and discuss ways that it can be expressed’.

It is intended that the SPHE specification for Senior Cycle will be made available to schools shortly. As part of the specification, students will learn about their rights and responsibilities before the law as young adults as well as about the skills needed to stand up for themselves and others, and the range of situations where this might arise.

A public consultation on a draft Primary Well-being specification has taken place from March 6th to June 7th 2024, with the deadline for written submissions extended to June 18th. It is intended to have the new specification available to schools for the 2025-26 school year.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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74. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding options available to schools to install sensory rooms and purchase sensory equipment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27467/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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A sensory room in a school can enhance and promote the health and well-being of the whole school with a focus on both the culture and the environment. It is a designated area within a school that can support a student’s sensory preferences and needs and provide students with the individualised sensory input they need to self-regulate to be better prepared for learning and interacting with others.

Funding of €7,000 is made available by my Department's Loose Furniture & Equipment (F&E) Section for the provision of the start-up of a sensory room within a school. To be eligible for the grant, the school must demonstrate it has an NCSE approved ASD class and that there is a suitable room to house the sensory room (i.e. drawings of the school layout with the sensory room and ASD class clearly marked). The sensory room must be a separate room from that of the ASD class and must have its own separate entry/exit. Only one sensory room grant is funded by my Department per school. It is intended that this funding can also be used for the purchase of sensory equipment.

In addition to this, my Department also funds the purchase of specialised furniture and equipment for children with special educational needs. Given the individualised nature of the requirements for children with special educational needs, this funding is provided on an application basis accompanied by an Occupational Therapist's report and recommendation.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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75. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to ensure school rules and policies are inclusive of neurodivergent pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27468/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Education Act 1998, all recognised schools are managed by the school board of management on behalf of the schools’ patrons or trustees or the relevant education and training Bboard (known as the management authority). It is the duty of the board to manage the school on behalf of the patron. In carrying out this duty the board is obliged to consult with and keep the patron informed of decisions and proposals of the board.

The board has overall responsibility for school policies. There are a range of different school policies that boards will, from time to time, be involved in developing, implementing and reviewing as appropriate. Examples include the Admission (Enrolment) Policy, Child Safeguarding Statement, Code of Behaviour, Anti-Bullying Policy, Complaints Procedures, School Attendance Strategy, Health and Safety Statement etc.

My department has initiated a range of measures to help support the learning and care needs of children in primary, post-primary and specialist school settings, in both mainstream and specialist education settings. For example, in March 2022 the Department published an interactive guidance document, Autism Good Practice Guidance for Schools as a resource for schools and others.

This guidance document has been developed as a resource for schools to support the needs of students with autism. It aims to assist teachers, SNAs and others working with children and young people with autism in an education setting to understand their needs so that there can be effective engagement. The guidance was developed by an expert working group drawn from the National Educational Psychological Service, the NCSE, the department’s Inspectorate and the Middletown Centre for Autism.

It is designed to help support the well-being, learning and participation of children and young people with autism in education. It aims to assist school staff to understand the varied nature of students’ strengths and needs, as well as to identify whole-school and individualised approaches to supports for students.

The department organised several workshops for schools on the autism guidance across the country and which were very well attended by school staff. The department are currently developing an online training module for the Autism Good Practice Guidance.

Furthermore, my department established a working group to develop guidelines for schools on the prevention and management of behaviour that challenges, where such behaviour poses imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others within the school environment.

The guidelines have been developed in the context of the department’s Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice (2018, revised 2019), which acknowledges the role of schools in the promotion of wellbeing.

The guidelines focus on creating inclusive environments which can respond to need and build on good practice including prevention and de-escalation. A range of training options will be available to schools once the guidelines are published, including procured training on understanding behaviours of concern and responding to crisis situations.

Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying was published on 1st December 2022. Cineáltas is the Department’s whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying in schools.

It is centred on a child right’s-based approach and provides a collective vision and clear roadmap for how the whole education community and society can work together to prevent and address bullying in schools. Implementation of the actions in Cineáltas will also promote kindness, respect, inclusion, diversity and well-being.

The Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill is currently before Dáil Éireann. When enacted, it will improve how schools engage with students and their parents by requiring each school to consult with students and their parents on individual school plans, policies and activities.

At a ground level, the government provided an additional €13 million in budget 2023, in order to expand the services within the NCSE. Special educational needs officers (SENO) play a crucial function within the framework of special education to ensure that students with special educational needs receive individualised support and services. Part of the NCSE expansion will include a substantial increase – from 73 to 120 – in the number of SENOs operating nationwide. This increase in posts paired with a new model of distribution of SENOs on a county basis will reduce a SENO’s caseload considerably and will allow for an integrated community-based service which is conducive to the development of key relationships between NCSE staff, parents and schools in the provision of services to students.

I want to assure the deputy that 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.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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76. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount spent by her Department on assistive technology applications in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27469/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Under the Assistive Technology Scheme, as set out in my Department’s Circular 0010/2013, funding is provided to schools towards the cost of computers and specialist equipment, which are required for educational purposes.

All equipment provided under this scheme supports children with more complex disabilities who, in order to access the school curriculum, require essential specialist equipment.

Before applying for an Assistive Technology Grant, it must be clear that the existing I.T. equipment in the school is insufficient to meet the child's needs. Where necessary, schools may also purchase new or additional equipment or software for students from normal school resources or funds.

In order to qualify for equipment under the Assistive Technology Scheme, a student must have been diagnosed with a physical or communicative disability and must also have a recommendation in a professional assessment that the equipment is essential in order to allow the student to access the curriculum.

The amount spent by my Department on assistive technology applications in each of the past five years is as follows:

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to introduce a proposal from for a six-year inclusive education strategic plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27470/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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On 16 January 2024, The National Council for Special Education published its policy advice paper on special schools and classes entitled “An Inclusive education for an Inclusive society”. This follows a request in October 2018, by the then Minister for Education and Skills, to advise on the educational provision for students in special schools and classes and to make recommendations on the future provision required to enable them to achieve better outcomes. The NCSE policy advice sought to consider how existing good practices could be incorporated and further developed in the design of an inclusive education system where children have the opportunity to learn in their local school with their siblings and peers.

The policy paper recommends progressive realisation of an inclusive education system for Ireland. It is envisaged that this system will be informed by, and aligned to, the relevant articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) which Ireland ratified in 2018.

The advice recommends a phased transition with incremental changes taking place over many years with special schools and classes remaining an important placement option for students and parents. The advice recommends that the Department of Education and the NCSE should seek the evolution of an education system that is configured specifically for the Irish context. This emerging system should have regard to existing good practices in the education system and the boosting of current resourcing with significant increases in psychological and therapeutic supports.

The advice is informed by extensive research, consultation and an examination of similar international education systems. Pathways to post school life options for students with special education needs were also analysed.

There is a strong base from which to develop an inclusive education system in Ireland with investment in special education amounting to €2.6 billion per year or approximately 27 per cent of the budget of the department. While the amount expended each year is a budgetary issue, the adoption of a more inclusive education system doesn’t mean there needs to be significant additional spending. We have 20,000 teachers working in specialist settings at the moment. We’ve a similar number of SNAs. The challenge is to ensure that model of inclusion it develops for our system is one which builds on existing good practice and existing resources.

Further research, engagement with stakeholders and other government departments and agencies, piloting, trialling, and evaluation will comprise key components of the department’s response to the policy advice over the coming years.

However, it is important to note that several actions being undertaken or planned for the near future by the department address aspects of the NCSE recommendations. Many of these actions are at an early stage of development and will take considerable time to deliver. However, cumulatively, they address the identified need for the adoption of a more inclusive education system and could be viewed as key enablers of such a system.

Following on from an application from the Department of Education, The European Commission’s DG Reform Office has sanctioned €0.5 million in consultancy support to assist in shaping the department’s response to the policy advice. This is very welcome and should provide us with the necessary expertise to develop the roadmap for inclusion which will work best for our system.