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. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.
SNAs are allocated to schools to enable them to support pupils with disabilities who also have significant care needs. 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.
Schools who wish to make applications for SNA support for new pupils enrolling to schools for the coming 2014/15 school year, should submit such applications for to the NCSE for their consideration. The NCSE will advise all schools of their SNA allocations for the 2014/15 school year, in advance of the new school year.
It is a matter for schools, not parents, to make applications for SNA support for pupils who are enrolled to their schools. 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.
The National Council for Special Education Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) can assist parents to identify appropriate educational placements for children with special educational needs. The NCSE also recently published a Guide for Parents and Guardians of Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs on Choosing a School. This guide is also available at www.ncse.ie.
The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) can also assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The NEWB will try to help parents to find a school placement if their child has been unable to secure a school placement to date. The NEWB can be contacted at National Educational Welfare Board, National Headquarters, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7 or by telephone at 01-8738700.
Finally, where a parent seeks to enrol their child in a school and that school refuses to enrol a pupil, the school is obliged to inform parents of their right under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 to appeal that decision to the Secretary General of my Department. Only where an appeal under Section 29 is upheld, may the Secretary General of my Department direct a school to enrol a pupil.
