Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 September 2013
264. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will approve a full time special needs assistant for a child (details supplied) in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36864/13]
View answer265. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will approve resource hours for a child (details supplied) in County Laois [36865/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 264 and 265 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 resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department. All schools were advised to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March, 2013. The NCSE has now published details of all of their allocations for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/2014 school year. These details are now available on the NCSE website, www.ncse.ie, and detail the allocations made for each school on a per county basis. In order to meet any late demand for resource teaching support which may have arisen between 15th March, 2013 and the start of the school year, the NCSE requested all schools to submit outstanding applications for resource teaching support to the NCSE by 20th September, 2013. Applications for resource teaching support received to this point will be considered by the NCSE. In relation to SNA support, schools should contact the NCSE if they have enrolled children who were not considered at the time that the SNA allocations were made to schools, or where they are seeking a revision to the quantum of SNA support which has been allocated to them for the coming school year. In general, a revision to SNA allocations will only be made in circumstances where schools have enrolled new pupils, or where schools can demonstrate that they do not have sufficient SNA posts to cater for the care needs of all of the qualifying children in their school. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
