Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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935. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the ring fenced SEN hours, as agreed in the ring fenced senior cycle redevelopment support measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60184/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The Special Education Teaching (SET) Allocation Model is a standardised allocation model that provides schools with additional teaching hours to support the teaching needs of students in mainstream classes.

Each school must deploy their SET resources to support those pupils who have been identified through the Continuum of Support with an identified special education need.

However, as we acknowledge the growing number of children with special educational needs transitioning to post primary over the coming years, there will also be additional resources provided to every post primary school in 2025 and 2026 to assist them in the effective planning and support of these children. This could include helping to support the delivery of the enhanced levels of provision under Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programmes. Post primary schools require significant time for special needs coordination, planning, tracking, consultation, communication, and reporting and this time is likely to increase as more children with special educational needs transition from primary to post primary settings.

These resources to post primary schools will be in the form additional hours to schools and the Department will work with our education partners as to how this will be best implemented for this and the next school year. This additional investment demonstrates the Department’s commitment to supporting schools and we will continue to seek to increase this support in future years.

The Deputy will be aware that as part of the package of measures to support the implementation of the Senior Cycle redevelopment programme, I am committed to the introduction of a Post of Responsibility in schools to specifically support the Senior cycle Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programmes from the start of the 2026/27 school year.