Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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509. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the school inclusion model; the name and number of schools involved; the progress to date and future plans for expansion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3562/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS) was established in June 2024. The expansion of therapy services within the NCSE is expected to build on the achievements and impacts of this element of the School Inclusion Model (SIM) pilot programme, which provided support to 75 schools as part of the pilot.

The ETSS service is designed to build the capacity of teachers (and other school personnel as relevant) to provide as effectively as possible for the needs of students. This will mean that therapists will work in classrooms with teachers to provide, for example, language programmes which have been co-designed by teachers and speech and language therapists.

The ETSS, initially, will comprise of 39 speech and language/occupational therapists embedded into the NCSE regional structure and it the ambition of the department to build this service over time to ensure that schools across the country will be able to access the support of those therapists. They will be supported by 5 existing Behaviour Practitioner posts. The Behaviour Practitioners in the NCSE will support schools to promote engagement and participation for all students using a behavioural frame of reference.

Therapists work with their NCSE team as well as collaborating with other service providers such as NEPS and HSE funded services (Primary Care, CDNT, CAMHS etc.). The educational supports offered by NCSE therapists include:

- Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) with follow on/implementation support by NCSE therapists to build the capacity of schools to embed the learning from TPL into their teaching practice.

- In-school coaching and co-facilitation of interventions, strategies and resources, with a focus on whole school (Tier 1) and targeted/school support levels (Tier 2) of a multi-tiered system of support.

- Sustained in-school therapy support, to work intensively with identified schools over an 18-24 month ‘cycle of support’ period.

The ETSS provides 2 strands of support. Strand I involves Regional Therapy Support and includes Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) seminars with in-school support. It is planned that these supports will be available nationally for the 2025/2026 school year. The second strand, Strand II provides Sustained In-School Therapy for a period of 24 months, in line with the School Inclusion Model (SIM).

The NCSE intends to deliver Strand II of the ETSS initially, in its Eastern and Western regions. Dublin is the base for the Eastern region and Limerick has been identified as the most suitable hub for the Western region. This includes Kerry, Clare, Limerick, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.

The ETSS will be available to all schools in these regions, including primary, post-primary and special schools following an application process through the NCSE.

22 schools in the Eastern region, as listed in the table, are currently availing of this service.

It is planned that the Stand II will be available in the Western Region for the 2025/2026 school year.