Skip to main content
Normal View

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 October 2017

Wednesday, 25 October 2017

Questions (143, 144, 146, 147)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

143. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which special needs places remain available at primary and second level in all schools throughout the country; the areas most under pressure in this regard to date; his plans to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45262/17]

View answer

Bernard Durkan

Question:

144. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which special needs places remain available at primary and second level in all schools throughout County Kildare; the areas most under pressure in this regard to date; his plans to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45263/17]

View answer

Bernard Durkan

Question:

146. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which places to facilitate children with autism at primary and second level remain available throughout County Kildare; the areas in respect of which the greatest demand exists to date; the expectation to meet this demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45265/17]

View answer

Bernard Durkan

Question:

147. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the number of special needs assistants required at primary and second level throughout County Kildare is being met and likely to be improved throughout 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45266/17]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 143, 144, 146 and 147 together.

My Department’s policy is that children with special educational needs including those with Autism, should be included in mainstream placements with additional supports provided, unless such a placement would not be in their best interests or in the interests of the children with whom they are to be educated, as is provided for under Section 2 of the Education of Persons with Special Needs Act 2004.

This policy has been informed by published research, including the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) policy advice on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools (2013) and NCSE policy advice on Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (2016), which are available on the NCSE’s website.

Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions, delivered by fully qualified professional teachers, with the support of Special Needs Assistants and the appropriate school curriculum.

Some children may be supported in a special class attached to a mainstream school which offers a supportive learning environment to students who are unable to access the curriculum in a mainstream class. These students have the option, where appropriate, of full/partial integration and interaction with other students.

Other children may have such complex needs that the recommendation in their professional reports state that they are best placed in a special school.

Decisions about placement should be based on individual needs and take into account a number of factors including parental wishes, availability of evidence-based treatments and well-trained staff and individual factors such as targets for intervention and management of behaviours.

There is therefore not one preferred educational environment for children with special educational needs, rather there is a model which takes into account the assessed educational needs of individual students.

Students enrolling in Special Classes must have a report from a relevant professional or team of professionals (for example, psychologist, speech and language therapist, psychiatrist) stating that:

- S/he has a disability (in line with the designation of the special class in question) and

- S/he has significant learning needs that require the support of a special class setting and the reasons why this is the case.

In relation to Autism Spectrum Disorder, almost 18,000 students in schools have been diagnosed with autism. My Department invests over €300m annually in providing additional resources specifically to support students with autism in schools enabling:

- 63% of students to attend mainstream schools

- 26% to attend special classes in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, and

- 11% to attend special schools.

The NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), in consultation with the relevant education partners, is responsible for the establishment of special classes to support children with Special Educational Needs, including Autism, in various geographical areas where there is an identified need.

The NCSE continues to establish additional special classes as required. Since 2011 the NCSE has increased the number of special classes by over 100% from 548 in 2011 to 1,302 for the 2017/18 school year. 1,042 of these are Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) special classes of which 151 are newly established for this school year.

With regard to Co. Kildare in particular, there are 4 special schools and 66 special classes attached to mainstream schools. Of these, 6 are ASD early intervention classes, 41 are primary ASD classes and 12 are post primary ASD classes. The number of ASD special classes in Co. Kildare have increased from 17 in 2011/2012 to 65 in 2017/2018.

The NCSE, in looking to open special classes, must take into account the present and future potential need for such classes, taking particular account of the educational needs of the children concerned. The NCSE will also take account of location and sustainability in looking to establish special classes in certain areas.

While it is not always possible to ensure that a special class placement will be available in a child’s local school, the NCSE has informed my Department that, in general, they are satisfied that there are sufficient special class placements to meet existing demand.

My Department continues to work with the NCSE to ensure that there is appropriate planning in place to ensure that all children who require special class placements can access such placements in schools within their communities.

Details of all special classes for children with special educational needs, are available on www.ncse.ie in county order, with new classes identified. Information in relation to the number of available placements in each of these classes is not immediately available to my Department, I have forwarded your query to the NCSE for direct reply.

The NCSE, is responsible, through its network of local SENOs for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (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, as set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.

In considering applications for SNA supports for individual pupils, the SENOs take account of the pupils' needs and consider the resources available to the school to identify whether additionality is needed or whether the school might reasonably be expected to meet the needs of the pupils from its current level of resources. SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource.

A total of 13,990 SNA posts are currently available for allocation to schools. In addition to the 975 additional SNA posts announced in July for allocation to schools from September to December 2017, the recent Budget announcement provides for an additional 1,091 SNA posts for 2018. This will bring the total number of SNAs available for allocation in 2018, to over 15,000, which is an increase of 43% over that allocated in 2011. This is more SNAs than we have ever had previously and will ensure that all children who qualify for SNA support can continue to receive access to such support.

Top
Share