The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has been established as an independent statutory body with responsibilities as set out in the National Council for Special Education (Establishment) Order 2003. With effect from 1 January 2005, the NCSE through local special educational needs organisers, SENOs, will process resource applications for children with special educational needs.
Where a pupil with special educational needs enrols in a post primary school, it is open to the school to apply to the local SENO for additional teaching support and or special needs assistant support for the pupil. My Department has recently issued circular letter PPT 01/05, advising the authorities of post-primary schools of the arrangements put in place as a result of the transfer of these functions to the NCSE.
My officials have been informed by the NCSE that no application for special educational needs support has been received by the council to date for the pupil concerned.