Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 January 2013
90. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the circumstances in which a pupil in primary school is entitled to the support of a full time special needs assistants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2124/13]
View answer91. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the entitlements that primary school pupils who are profoundly deaf have to the services of an special needs assistants; if they are automatically entitled to a full-time SNA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2125/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 91 together.
I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. SNAs are allocated to schools in order to provide for the care needs of children with special educational needs attending such schools. The policy of my Department in relation to the SNA scheme is set out in Circular 07/02, which also provides details regarding the role and duties of an SNA. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.
I wish to advise the Deputy that SNAs are not allocated to individual pupils. The NCSE allocates a quantum of SNA support for each school annually taking into account the care needs of all of the qualifying children enrolled in the school, and on the basis of the assessed care needs of the children, rather than solely by reference to a pupils' disability categorisation. SNAs should then be deployed by schools in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
All schools have been advised by the NCSE of their SNA staffing allocations for the current school year. Details of the SNA allocations which have been made to each school are available at www.ncse.ie, detailed on a County basis. Where a school considers that they do not have adequate SNA support from within their allocated provision to provide for the care needs of all qualifying pupils, or where schools have enrolled new students with special educational needs, they may apply to the NCSE to have their SNA allocation reviewed and the NCSE has capacity to make additional allocations to schools.
