Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 July 2015
203. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the allocation of special needs assistants to a school (details supplied) in County Cork for the coming school year; if she will explain any changes in the number of special needs assistants allocated; the options available for reviewing the allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27884/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education(NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating SNA support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.
The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support and these criteria by are set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.
All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed.
Details of SNA allocations to schools for 2015/16, including the school referred to by the Deputy, are now available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.
Details of the manner in which a school or parent may appeal the level of SNA allocation which has been made to support a child in school, to the NCSE, are set out at www.ncse.ie.
All schools have the contact details of their local SENO, while 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.
