Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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125. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on the current SET allocation system; the reason her Department is no longer considering the complex needs of students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30481/24]

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

The mainstream class teacher has primary responsibility for the progress and care of all children in their classrooms, including children with additional needs. In addition to this there are in excess of 14,600 SET posts to support children with additional needs across our schools.

Furthermore I would like to clarify that the SET model is an allocation model to provide schools with additional teaching hours to support the needs of their students. When the 2017 model was introduced it replaced a diagnosis led model with one based on need. This has not changed for 2024 and the allocation to schools is to support all of the children in school who require additional support.

The guidance to schools on the proper deployment and usage of special education teaching hours remains unchanged, schools must deploy their SET resources in line with the Continuum of Support. The guiding principle of the continuum is that the student with the greatest level of need should receive the greatest level of support.

There has been some commentary that students with complex needs are not catered for in this model and that schools do not have the resources to support children with complex needs. This is not the case.

The review of the model identified concerns in relation to the completeness and accuracy of the data being provided by the HSE to the Department of Education, which meant that schools for whom no data was returned, even where there was significant need, might lose out. This data would also not encompass the significant numbers of children on HSE waiting lists, many of whom are in school.

The model is now utilising data provided to the Department of Education by individual schools so as to ensure resources are in the right place at the right time to meet the needs of children with complex needs in mainstream schools.

Complex need is now measured in two ways. Firstly, students who are performing at the lower levels in standardised tests, which indicate the greatest level of need for additional teaching support and secondly, the pupils with more complex needs and who have been exempted are given the highest weight. Once again, it is very important to clarify that the inputs to the model do not prescribe which children should receive support through the additional teaching resources, schools must adhere to the guidance on the use of SET hours and support all children with additional teaching needs. This was the position in 2017 and remains the position now.

The allocation model for 2024/25 distributes the total available number of special education teaching hours in line with each school’s profile of need. It seeks to distribute teaching resources in the fairest possible manner, taking into account quality, robust evidence in respect of individual schools.

Existing complex needs hours in each school have not been removed from the model. To ensure that schools are not negatively impacted all existing hours assigned for complex needs are being maintained for each school.

Of course every school is different, and schools can experience unique circumstances that may be difficult to reflect in any standardised method in respect of 4,000 schools. For this reason the review process for special education teaching hours has been streamlined and schools who feel that they have received an inappropriate allocation can make an application to the NCSE.

A total of 158 valid applications for review were received by the NCSE. All of these reviews have now been completed.

On completion of the reviews, the NCSE made a recommendation to the department that 135 schools warranted an increased allocation. The NCSE also advised the quantum of the increase required.

In all case the department accepted the recommendation and advised the NCSE of the approval of the additional hours.

The 135 schools received increased allocated hours of 1,232 with increases ranging from 2.5 to 27.5 hours. The average increase across the schools is in excess of 9 hours.