Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 June 2022
15. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Education the steps her Department has taken over the past 24 months to provide equal opportunity to education for all children with disabilities and additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28433/22]
View answerThis year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing a range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs, this includes additional teaching and care supports. This represents an increase of over 60% in total expenditure since 2011. As a result, the number of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.
The main supports this funding provides for are:
Special Needs Assistants
Budget 2022 provides funding for an additional 1,165 SNAs (in 2022) to provide support to children with special educational needs, which will bring the total number of SNAs to 19,169 at the end of December 2022.
This represents an increase of 81% since 2011, at which time 10,575 were provided.
Special Education Teachers (SETs)
Budget 2022 provides for an additional 620 new Special Education Teaching posts in special education.
This will bring the total number of Special Education Teachers in the mainstream school system to 14,385 in 2022.
This represents an increase of 48% since 2011 at which time 10,575 were provided.
Special Classes
Budget 2022 provided for the creation of 287 additional special classes for the 2022/2023 school year. These additional classes will provide over 1,700 new places in 2022.
This provision for 287 additional Special Classes will bring the total to 2,405 in the 2022/2023 school year.
Special Schools
126 special schools currently providing specialist education for children with special educational needs.
Two new special schools in Cork and Dublin opened for the 2021/22 school-year.
Budget 2022 provided for an additional 23 teaching posts and 46 SNA posts in special schools which will create an additional 140 class places.
This will provide specialist education to over 8,000 pupils in 2022.
A further two new special schools, one in Cork and one in Dublin, are scheduled to open during the 2022/23 school-year.
A further two new special schools, one in Cork and one in Dublin, are scheduled to open during the 2022/23 school-year.
Further additional supports provided are:
- An assistive technology scheme to provide for assistive technology supports and equipment for children with special educational needs
- Special school transport arrangements for children who need additional transport provision or additional transport assistance such as bus escorts.
- Teacher training and continuing professional development in the area of special education.
- Enhanced capitation levels for special schools and special classes.
- Modification of school buildings to assist with access and new build provisions to ensure inclusive settings in newly built schools.
- The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) including a new Regional Support Service within the NCSE to support the inclusion of children with special educational needs in schools.
- A Home Tuition scheme to provide for the education of children with special educational needs who are awaiting school placement and an extended school year scheme.
- Special Arrangements for State Examinations
I will continue to explore opening more special education provision within fee charging patron to follow on from the agreement with the Spiritans. I hope to announce that many more fee paying school will open special class places in the coming months.
As mentioned, I have appointed a new CEO of the NCSE. I will be ensuring that they have all the support necessary in order to succeed and provide the service that is needed for many families across the country.
The Section 37A process has been commenced and I am confident that it will lead to further provision becoming available.
The Deputy will be aware, that my Department has been actively engaged in reviewing and updating the relevant legislation at this time. Earlier this week the Government approved the text of an Education (Provision in Respect of Children with Special Educational Needs) Bill 2022. This legislation provides for a truncated and more streamlined Section 37A process. It is envisaged that a Minister could issue a direction within a period of 6 to 8 weeks of receiving a detailed report from the NCSE advising of a lack of provision in a certain area.
Under the new Section 37A process, schools still have two opportunities to make representations to the Minister before a decision may be made to issue a direction. A school can of course agree to open an additional class at any stage in the process before a direction may be issued.
This new legislation also places additional duties on schools to co-operate with the NCSE in relation to making additional provision for children with special educational needs.
It also confers an additional function on the NCSE to manage and co-ordinate admission to school in co-operation with parents and schools where necessary.
Section 67 of the Education Act 1998 which provides for the NCSE to designate a school place for a child has also been amended and it is planned to commence this Section of the Act shortly. Both of these measures should be of particular benefit to parents seeking a school place for a child with special educational needs.
We are committed to providing appropriate places for all children with special educational needs. We know that Dublin is the real pinch point in relation to placements for these children and this legislation seeks to address that shortage.
I am committed to making a difference for students who have special educational needs as part of an inclusive education system. As a Government, we fully recognise the importance of an inclusive and all-embracing education system.
