Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Inclusive education (including Special Education) was a mandatory element of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes which were extended and reconceptualised under Initial Teacher Education: Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers (Teaching Council, 2011). Within further updated standards which the Teaching Council adopted in 2020, known as Céim Standards for Initial Teacher Education, inclusive education was further strengthened as one of seven core elements which must underpin all aspects of programmes of ITE.

Inclusive education, as defined in Céim, refers to any aspect of teachers’ learning which aims to

• Improve their capacity to address and respond to the diversity of learners’ needs – which specifically includes the needs of children with autism;
• Remove barriers to education through the accommodation and provision of appropriate structures and arrangements
• Enable each learner to achieve the maximum benefit from his/her attendance at school.

By including these as core elements, the Council has taken a high-level approach to ensuring that they inform every aspect of programme design.

As part of the review and accreditation process, all programmes of initial teacher education had to provide evidence of how the core elements are explored and examined with student teachers during the course of their programme. All new and existing ITE programmes were realigned with Céim for first year student teachers as of September 2022.

Launched in March 2023, the Policy Statement on Initial Teacher Education looks to build on the work carried out to enhance inclusive education under Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education. The Teaching Council provided a report to my department in October 2024 on how the core element of inclusive education has been included in initial teacher education.

Building on this work, I have asked the Teaching Council to conduct a survey across all ITE providers to gain a deeper understanding of the current landscape of school placement provision in special education settings. I am also requesting that the data collected be considered by the Council in the context of a two-week assessed student placement period in a SEN setting, with a view to the development of a guidance note for HEIs to support the interim implementation of same from September 2026, and the potential for its permanent inclusion in the revision of the Céím standards.

In addition, 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.
• Graduate Certificate in Autism Education for teachers working with Autistic Pupils in Special Schools, Special Classes or as Special Education Teachers in mainstream Primary and Post-Primary Schools.

The aim is to provide substantial theoretical and practical continuing professional development for teachers working with students with special educational needs, contributing to the school’s overall capacity to meet the needs of pupils with special education needs, including autism. In 2024 circa €852K was provided for these programmes to provide for over 300 places.