Wednesday, 13 Oct 2021

Written Answers Nos. 124-144

Passport Services

Questions (124)

Marian Harkin

Question:

124. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a passport application will be processed without further delay in the case of a person (details supplied). [50152/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Deputy Simon Coveney)

With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has already issued passports to the applicants.

School Accommodation

Questions (125)

Denise Mitchell

Question:

125. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education the amount spent on renting prefabs at a school (details supplied) in each of the years 2014 to 2020, in tabular form. [49938/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

I wish to advise the Deputy that rental of €174,355 has been expended to date on temporary accommodation at the school in question.

As requested the information is also provided in tabular form attached.

2014	NIL
2015	NIL
2016	NIL
2017	NIL
2018	€ 14,058.90
2019	€ 40,595.41
2020	€ 79,275.66
2021 to Date	€ 40,425.91
Total Rent Paid	€ 174,355.88

School Staff

Questions (126, 131, 140, 141, 142)

Chris Andrews

Question:

126. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Education if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding substitute teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49989/21]

Catherine Connolly

Question:

131. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the analysis her Department has carried out into the possibility of continuing the system of banking substitution days for the current academic year; the analysis her Department has carried out into the impact of the revised sequencing of access to substitution for primary teachers on the continuity of learning for children with additional learning needs pursuant to circular 50/2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50052/21]

Gary Gannon

Question:

140. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education the steps that are to be taken when local arrangements that facilitate the pupils to be supervised in a manner that does not involve them being split between existing classes as under circular 50/21 section 6; and her views on whether this amounts to removing special education teacher support to supervise classes when no substitute is available. [50115/21]

Gary Gannon

Question:

141. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education the number of hours that were banked nationally past year; and the way this would equate on a pro-rata basis if school buildings had been open for the full 183 days of the school year. [50116/21]

Gary Gannon

Question:

142. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education the level of engagement with the education stakeholders prior to the announcement of circular 50/21 section 6; and if it was accepted by them. [50117/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

I propose to take Questions Nos. 126, 131, 140, 141 and 142 together.

Among the COVID-19 supports provided for the 2020/21 school year, additional measures to provide for substitution to cover for teacher absences were introduced. These included a major expansion of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panels. These were extended and currently almost 380 newly appointed supply panel teachers are employed, providing substitute cover to over 2,500 primary schools across the country. These substitute Supply Panels are not the only means whereby schools source substitutes but are set up to work alongside the existing methods of sourcing substitute teachers such as the national substitution portal service "Sub Seeker", operated by IPPN or through a school’s own panel of regular substitutes.

As a measure of last resort, and in the context of the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 related absences schools were permitted to use non-mainstream class teachers last year to provide cover for teacher absences. Almost 20,000 substitute days were ‘banked’ by more than 1,000 schools while schools were opened during the 2020/21 school year. School buildings were closed in January and February 2021.

Department Circulars 0044/2019 and 31/2011, provide that schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers and ensure that unemployed teachers should be offered employment in preference to those who have retired. The circulars set out the sequence of recruitment for substitute appointments, which include contacting a person on the substitute list established by the employer, or by using a national substitute service such as SubSeeker , or advertising.

Due to the successful roll out of the vaccination programme and changes to the rules around close contacts and the requirements to restrict movements, teacher absences due to Covid-19 should be reduced this year. In this context using non-mainstream class teachers should no longer be necessary and schools should revert to using the normal sequence of filling substitute positions. It will therefore no longer be necessary to ‘bank hours’. This will ensure that children with special education needs get access to their specialised teaching on an ongoing basis.

School Staff

Questions (127)

Michael Moynihan

Question:

127. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Education the status of an application for increased SNA support by a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49994/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews.

The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.

SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management of the school. SNAs should be deployed by the school 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.

In light of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the introduction of the new Frontloaded Allocation Model for SNAs for students in mainstream classes in primary and post -primary schools is to be deferred for a further year to the beginning of the 2022/23 school year.

In order to minimise disruption for schools, in the current circumstances, and to provide for continuity of allocations the following arrangements for the allocation of Special Needs Assistants for mainstream classes for the 2021/22 school year:

Existing mainstream class SNA allocations in schools on 30 April 2021 will be maintained and will automatically rollover into the 2021/22 school year.

No school will therefore receive an allocation less than that which they had on 30 April 2021.

SNAs currently in mainstream settings can continue in post for the next school year in the normal way.

Priority consideration will now be given by the NCSE to applications for increased support for the 2021/22 school year, in particular, applications from schools with no SNAs and developing schools will be prioritised. Determinations will be made before 30 June. Other applications will be processed in order of date received.

As in previous years, where circumstances change during the course of the 2021/22 school year that materially increase the level of care need in a school to the extent that the school can clearly demonstrate that it cannot be met within the existing SNA allocation, the school may apply to the NCSE for a review. Detailed information on the NCSE exceptional review process is published on the NCSE website ncse.ie/for-schools.

The NCSE have published the SNA allocations on their website www.ncse.ie.

SNA allocations for special classes and special schools are not affected by this arrangement.

Circular 0029/2021 has been published and advises schools of the arrangements for the allocation of SNAs for the 2021/22 school year.

Provisions set out in Circular 0030/2020 has been extended for the 2021/22 school year.

Circulars 29/2021 and 30/2020 are available on the Departments website.

My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations. Accordingly your correspondence has been forwarded to the NCSE for direct reply.

School Transport

Questions (128)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

128. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education when school transport will return to 100% capacity. [49998/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.

Planning for school transport for the 2021/22 school year has proceeded on the basis that the public health measures in place as schools closed at the end of the last school year would remain as term began in this new school year. This includes the recommendations from Public Health that post-primary services would operate at 50% capacity. All other measures relating to hygiene, pre-assigned seating, cleaning and the wearing of masks by post-primary students are also in place. However, as the vaccination programme for children on post-primary services is rolled out and as the lifting of restrictions on public transport services proceeds, the capacity limit of 50% on post-primary school transport services will be subject to ongoing review and the Department will be considering the position in this regard over the coming weeks.

School Staff

Questions (129)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

129. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education if the current release day allocation of one release day per week for teaching principals will be maintained beyond the academic year 2021-2022 pursuant to circular 50/2021; the analysis her Department has carried out in this regard; the engagement her Department has had with teaching principals on this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50050/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

I am keenly aware of the huge contribution made by all Principals in our schools, including teaching principals.

The COVID-19 supports provided under The Roadmap for the Full Return to School in 2020, included specific funding to support Principals who undertake teaching duties in primary schools. This funding provided each teaching principal with a minimum of one release day per week. Schools have been advised that, in the context of COVID-19, the additional allocation of Principal Release Days will remain in place for the 2021/22 school year and each school with a teaching principal will have 37 Principal Release Days.

Budget 2022 has maintained these Principal Release Days going forward.

School Equipment

Questions (130)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

130. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the details of the quality assurance testing and calibration carried out on the CO2 monitors delivered by her Department to schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50051/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe.

Good ventilation was identified as an important aspect of public health advice on managing Covid-19 risks and this led to the establishment of an Expert Group by the Department of Health. A sub-group of the main Expert Group focussed exclusively on the issue of improving and monitoring ventilation in schools. This report formed the based for the most recent updating of the ventilation guidance for schools and included recommendations in relation to strengthening the message about the importance of good ventilation and the use of CO2 monitors.

A copy of the guidance is published on the Gov.ie website.

The use of CO2 monitors can provide a useful general indication that areas/rooms within a building may not be adequately ventilated and can enable occupants to become familiar with the impact that activities, outdoor weather and window openings have on levels of good ventilation within a room. This information can be used to inform strategies for improving ventilation. The portable units can facilitate measurements in a wide range of locations in schools.

The CO2 monitors delivered to schools are CE Marking approved, thus meeting EU safety, health and environmental protection requirements. The sensors are factory calibrated, the electronic display module are tested individually following assembly to ensure all basic inputs and outputs are working and the final assembled units are individually tested as a complete unit, at which point the sensor readings are verified, as is the USB interface.

Question No. 131 answered with Question No. 126.

Capitation Grants

Questions (132)

Steven Matthews

Question:

132. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education her views on the adequacy of the school capitation grant levels for primary schools; if she will report on the basis for the discrepancy between the per pupil allocation between primary and secondary school students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50058/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

I understand the need for improved capitation funding and I am pleased that budget 2020 was able to provide for a 2.5% increase in standard capitation funding for primary and post-primary schools that applied from the start of the 2020/21 school year. This builds on the 5% increase in capitation announced in budget 2019.

The combined increases given in 2019 and 2020 mean that circa 40% restoration has been achieved.

All schools have received the benefit of the capitation increases awarded to date. It is my intention to seek funding for further capitation increases in future budgets.

It is difficult to make precise comparisons between the levels of grants paid and the actual costs of running schools at primary and post-primary.

In general, post-primary schools are larger than primary schools. They have specialist rooms such as laboratories, workshops etc. This leads to higher unit costs in for heat, light, power, maintenance and cleaning.

School Staff

Questions (133)

Steven Matthews

Question:

133. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education if the level of retirement from the primary school system is matched by the number of newly qualified teachers; the research her Department has commissioned to ensure the system is future-proofed in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50059/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

In November 2019, my Department published a technical report “Developing a Teacher Demand and Supply Model for Ireland 2020-2036”. The report was updated in May 2021 with projections of teacher demand and supply to 2038. These projections take account of projected pupil enrolments, estimated teacher retirements and resignations, and the estimated number of new registrants with the Teaching Council.

The report projects that the demand for primary teachers will decrease most years up to 2026, after which it will increase to 2038. This trend will be driven by decreasing retirements and enrolments out to 2027 and 2034, respectively. High levels of supply compared with modest demand will lead to a projected over-supply of primary teachers out to 2035, after which the demand is projected to overtake the supply.

It is important to note that the report’s projections are based on high level demographics and demonstrate trends in demand and supply. The projections do not take account of possible new policy measures that might affect teacher demand or supply. Ultimately, the intention is to establish a robust data based model for the effective projection of future teacher demand and supply across the school system.

The Technical Report is available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/055810-education-statistics/#latest-statistical-reports.

School Staff

Questions (134)

Steven Matthews

Question:

134. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the requests from a union (details supplied) to restore the level of AP1 and AP2 posts in primary schools to pre-2010 levels; if her attention has been drawn to the need to restore these positions to ease the burden on school management; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50063/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

I recognise the key role school leadership has in promoting a school environment which is welcoming, inclusive and accountable.

In total 1700 additional leadership posts have been invested in our primary schools since the lifting of the moratorium on posts of responsibility in 2017, which has led to 1 in 3 teachers now holding promoted positions.

The Department has committed to annually revising the allocation of Posts of Responsibility to take into account retirements during the school year which ensures that the current level of Posts of Responsibility are maintained in the school system. The most recent update for the current school year is available on the Department's website (Circular 0025/2021).

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Questions (135)

Steven Matthews

Question:

135. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education the position regarding the average pupil teacher ratio in primary schools at a national level if only schools with a full-time administrative principal are included (details supplied); the steps she is taking to improve this position; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50064/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

Data on the pupil-teacher ratio for all primary schools is published regularly and currently stands at 14.5 for the school year 2020. However data on the pupil-teacher ratio for particular types of schools, such as those with administrative principals, is not currently available. The department is working on developing these statistics and will revert to the deputy with the results as soon as they are available.

Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools.

At primary level, the annual staffing schedule determines the allocation of teachers to schools. The current allocation is on an average ratio of 1 classroom teacher for every 25 pupils. Budget 2022 has implemented a further 1 point reduction for the 2022/23 school year so that primary schools will be allocated teaching posts on an average basis of 1 classroom teacher for every 24 pupils in September 2022 This has brought the teacher allocation ratio in all primary schools to the lowest ever seen at primary level. This is the second successive budget which has seen an improvement in allocation of teachers to primary schools.

School Staff

Questions (136)

Brendan Smith

Question:

136. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education if she will address issues concerning the primary education sector as outlined in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50082/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

I am keenly aware of the huge contribution made by all Principals in our schools, including teaching principals.

The COVID-19 supports provided under The Roadmap for the Full Return to School in 2020, included specific funding to support Principals who undertake teaching duties in primary schools. This funding provided each teaching principal with a minimum of one release day per week. Schools have been advised that, in the context of COVID-19, the additional allocation of Principal Release Days will remain in place for the 2021/22 school year and each school with a teaching principal will have 37 Principal Release Days.

Staffing arrangements for the 2022/23 school year will be finalised in the Spring and will be made available to schools through the Department website.

Circulars were recently issued by my Department in relation to a pay increase for public servants under the national agreement “Building Momentum” which was agreed between the Government and ICTU. Building Momentum includes a 1% increase for public servants from 1 October 2021 and the circulars were issued to inform schools and other public bodies of the new pay rates.

Unfortunately, one circular was issued indicating that the increase applied to certain staff beyond public servants (including grant-funded staff such as school secretaries, caretakers and cleaners). This was an error as the increase does not apply beyond public servants and when this error came to the attention of the Department the relevant circular was withdrawn. The Department apologises for any confusion or upset caused by this unfortunate error.

My Department has acted in recent years on the pay of grant funded staff. For example it has fully implemented and funded the 2015 recommendations of an independent arbitrator for a cumulative pay increase of 10% between 2016 and 2019 and that a minimum hourly pay rate of €13 be phased in over that period for secretaries and caretakers.

You may be aware that Fórsa trade union has tabled a follow-on claim from that arbitration and officials from my Department and school management bodies have been engaging with Fórsa on the issues. Following intensive discussions at the WRC on 13th September, there has been significant progress in this dispute. Subject to agreement on all elements of the claim, the Department has offered to move School Secretaries’ pay rates to a scale which is aligned with the Clerical Officer Grade III pay scale within education and training boards on a pro rata basis with an effective date of implementation for these new pay arrangements of 1st September 2021. Pay rates will be pro rata according to a secretary’s current working pattern. The pay scale offered will include the 1% pay increase from 1 October 2021 referred to.

My officials have engaged with Fórsa throughout this process and I look forward to continued progress under the Workplace Relations Commission.

School Staff

Questions (137)

Paul McAuliffe

Question:

137. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education if she will consider allowing schools that have to use special education teachers to cover staff absences due to Covid-19 given that no other substitute is available to bank the hours to use for the purpose of special education teaching provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50101/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

I wish to advise the Deputy that there is no facility to carryover SET hours from one school year to the next. Hours accumulated in any given school year must be utilised in the same school year.

Where hours were accumulated due to a school receiving a backdated increase to their Special Education Teaching hours, or due to a Special Education Teacher being used to cover substitution, as an emergency measure, schools were advised that any loss of special education teaching time should be made up at the first available opportunity by employing additional teaching resources to make up for the shortfall.

The decision to request schools to stop banking SET hours is an important measure in ensuring children with SEN get access to their specialised teaching on an ongoing basis and therefore it is in their best interest that this education support is not disrupted.

As a measure of last resort, schools were permitted to use non-mainstream class teachers last year to provide cover for teacher absences. Due to the successful roll out of the vaccination programme teacher absences due to Covid-19 should be reduced this year. Therefore using non-mainstream class teachers should no longer be necessary and schools should revert to using the normal sequence as set out below and should plan to ensure access to substitutes in this manner.

By no longer using non-mainstream teachers to provide substitute cover, schools will no longer need to ‘bank hours’. This will help ensure that the disruption to teaching and learning provided by non-classroom teachers will be avoided. This approach will also ensure that SET allocations are used for the children with special educational needs.

Schools have now been advised to ensure that they have plans in place to ensure that they have access to substitutes to cover teacher absences.

Supply panels have been put in place to support schools to access substitutes. Schools can also make arrangements to have their own regular substitutes to call on if they need a substitute. There is also a National Substitute service available to schools.

Sequence for covering all teacher absences is as follows:

· Supply panel if the school is part of a supply panel cluster arrangement,

· School’s own panel of regular substitutes,

· National substitute service,

· Administrative Principal if applicable

· Local arrangements that facilitate the pupils to be supervised in a manner that does not involve them being split between existing classes in classrooms

School Facilities

Questions (138)

Duncan Smith

Question:

138. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education if she will report on the upgrading of a facility (details supplied). [50102/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

The school to which the Deputy refers has completed the tender process with a successful bidder identified. The Letter of Acceptance has issued to the successful contractor and it is anticipated that works will commence on site within the next 14 days. Subject to no issues arising, the works are scheduled to take approximately 22 months.

Legislative Measures

Questions (139)

Ivana Bacik

Question:

139. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education when she proposes to commence section 8 of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; and the reason for the delay in commencement. [50114/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

Section 8 of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act, 2018 was commenced on 3rd December 2018 and provides the Minister with a power to compel a school to make additional provision in respect of children with special educational needs i.e. open a special class or classes, where the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has identified a need for such a provision within an area.

Question No. 140 answered with Question No. 126.

Question No. 141 answered with Question No. 126.

Question No. 142 answered with Question No. 126.

Special Educational Needs

Questions (143)

Gary Gannon

Question:

143. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education when she will establish the estimated costs of fully implementing the remaining sections and subsections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004; if she plans to review the Act in view of changing needs and priorities as stated by her colleague Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion in February 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50118/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

The Education for Persons with Special Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 sets out the vision for the education of children with disabilities in this country.

The Act requires that a child with special educational needs should be educated in an inclusive environment alongside their peers unless the nature and extent of those needs would not be in the best interest of the child concerned or the other children with whom the child is to be educated.

For this purpose, my Department funds a continuum of education provision which covers the full spectrum of need ranging from placement in a mainstream class with supports or a placement in a more specialist setting, a special class or special school. My Department currently spends in excess of €2b in supporting this continuum annually.

I wish to advise the Deputy that a number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 have been commenced.

The commenced provisions include those establishing the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and those providing for an inclusive approach to the education of children with special educational needs.

The following sections of the EPSEN Act were commenced in 2005.

Section 1 – Interpretation

Section 2 - providing for the inclusive education of children with Special Educational Needs

Section 14 – placing certain duties on schools

Sections 19 to 37 - placing the Council on a statutory footing.

Section 39 - placing certain duties on Health Boards

Sections 40 to 53 - amending the Education Act

Schedule 1 – providing for meetings and membership of the Council

Schedule 2 providing for the Chief Executive Officer of the Council. The remaining sections of the Act have yet to be commenced. The Sections of the EPSEN Act which have not been implemented are those which would have conferred a statutory entitlement to –

an educational assessment for all children with special educational needs.

consequent development of a statutory individual educational plan (IEP).

the delivery of detailed educational services on foot of this plan.

an independent appeals process.

The Government has committed to consulting with stakeholders on how best to progress the EPSEN Act.

It should be noted, however, that since EPSEN was enacted, the Department’s policy on supporting children with special educational needs has changed and evolved on foot of evidence based policy advice from the NCSE which takes account of international perspectives.

Significantly, the focus of special needs education provision has changed from a model that is diagnosis led to one which is driven by the needs of the child. This is a substantially different view to the one underlying the EPSEN Act. The levels of investment by Government in special education has increased to facilitate the underlying reforms required to implement and embed the needs based approach.

I have also indicated that one of my priorities as Minister for Special Education and Inclusion is to carry out a review of the EPSEN Act.

This review will take into account the range of reforms and increased investment in supports which have taken place in recent years including the development of new allocation models which are not based primarily on the outcome of an assessment. The requirement for a diagnosis can create a risk of children being diagnosed as having a special educational need for resource allocation purposes, rather than for health reasons. Also, that as there is a spectrum of ability and disability within every special education disability category so account must be taken of need, as well as diagnosis.

Policy advice has been requested from the NCSE on the specialist education placements is also expected in the coming months.

Special Educational Needs

Questions (144)

Gary Gannon

Question:

144. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education the average, maximum and minimum times taken for reviews on SNA allocation to be completed by the NCSE over the past three years in tabular form. [50119/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. The Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations. Accordingly your question has been forwarded to the NCSE for direct reply.

The NCSE manages the exceptional review process and handles each case individually. Some review requests can be concluded as an office based exercise, whilst others require a school to be visited. The timeframe for concluding a review can vary depending on the school context or the nature of the information provided.

In processing applications for an exceptional review of SNA support, the NCSE considers each application on the basis of the information provided by the school. Schools are required to use their existing allocation and deploy SNAs in support of the care needs as they are currently presenting in the school. The NCSE examines the application to identify whether there has been a significant change in the profile of care needs in the school. In some cases an additional allocation is required and is subsequently made available to the school. As advised in the Guidelines on the SNA Exceptional Review process published on the NCSE website, priority is given to schools with no or limited SNA resources and to rapidly developing schools.

For the 2020/21 Exceptional Review process, given the particular public health requirements and the fact that school buildings were closed for some of the year, wherever possible the opportunity was taken to conclude a review as an office based exercise. In most cases this resulted with the review being brought to a conclusion without a school visit. However, in some cases it was also necessary to visit the school in order to complete the process and 332 such school visits took place. The school visit provides an opportunity to engage with teachers, SNAs and school management on the effective deployment of SNAs in the school and the NCSE is thankful to schools for facilitating their taking place.