Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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158. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason gradates of inclusive education cannot work solely for children with additional needs and are instead being made go through the Teaching Council for mainstream schools. [22054/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the state.

It is a function of the Council under the Teaching Council Acts (s7(2)) to act as the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained by a person who has applied under this Act for registration as a teacher.

The Teaching Council register teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration: Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 - Student Teacher.

It is the Council’s responsibility to ensure that all teachers entering the profession in Ireland have met the required standards. These standards have been established following extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, research, and in accordance with Department of Education policies and priorities and developed over a number of years.

Central to Initial Teacher Education policy in Ireland is that all teachers teaching children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) should be qualified Primary or Post-primary teachers in the first instance. The Teaching Council as the professional standards body for the teaching profession, sets the standards for programmes of initial teacher education (ITE) and reviews and accredits programmes provided by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the State, based on those standards. All programmes of ITE in Ireland that led to registration must have professional accreditation from the Teaching Council. The standards for programmes of ITE, which were revised in 2020, are published in Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education (2020). The standards set Inclusive Education as one of the seven core elements which must unpin all aspects of the programme of ITE.

Céim includes core elements that ITE programmes must contain, including Inclusive Education: which "includes the fostering of appropriate learning environments, including digital ones, which support the development of student teachers’ ability to provide for the learning needs of all pupils by utilising, for example, a universal design for learning framework." This is intended to provide the foundational competencies teachers will need in order to teach in SEN settings.

The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 provides that people with special educational needs are educated in an inclusive environment, as far as possible and have the same right to access and benefit from education as children who don’t have these needs.

There are a number of Graduate and Post-graduate Diplomas in the field of Special Education which are approved by the Department of Education and can be used to add this sector to a teacher’s registration where the teacher also holds an accredited teacher education qualification.

The Teaching Council works within Department policy and central to this policy is that all teachers teaching children with Special Educational Needs should be qualified Primary or Post-Primary teachers in the first instance and may then apply for one of the DE recognised qualifications in Special Educational Needs as outlined in Circular 0044/2019.

An important principle of the education system is that all learners are entitled to access the curriculum in accordance with their ability and need, and as such, to the same standard of teaching as all other learners. Department circulars outline the routes of registration that are applicable to schools, including SEN settings and special schools.

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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159. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she recognises the need for a specialised route into special education teaching; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22055/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government.

Providing inclusive education to children with special educational needs is a fundamental principle of my Department’s education and training system. This principle is put into practice through the policies of my Department and the Teaching Council and the supports provided to schools, for example through the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and Oide.

Central to Initial Teacher Education policy in Ireland is that all teachers teaching children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) should be qualified Primary or Post-primary teachers in the first instance. Once qualified as a teacher, persons may apply for professional development in the area of SEN.

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.

• 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.