Joe Carey
Question:271. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Education the status of a school project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50973/22]
View answerSchools Building Projects
Questions (271)
Written answers
As the Deputy is aware, a major school building project for the school in question has been devolved for delivery to Limerick & Clare Education & Training Board (LCETB).
A Traffic Management Survey is currently underway. The Design Team is working in consultation with the Department and the Local Authority to inform the design going forward.
It is envisaged that when this process is complete, the Department can expect to receive the Stage 1 Report in due course. While this project is still at an early stage, it is not possible to provide a timeframe for completion.
School Staff
Questions (272)
John McGuinness
Question:272. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education if the special circumstances relating to a pupil (details supplied) will be re-examined in the context of his urgent need for a SNA at a school; if the services such as speech and language therapy which they require will also be provided as a matter of urgency given that their positive progression is being hampered; and if she will expedite the matter. [50979/22]
View answerWritten answers
The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews and the school should liaise with the NCSE directly in the event that additional supports are required. My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations. Accordingly your correspondence has been forwarded to the NCSE for direct reply.
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 relation to SNA support the NCSE have confirmed that the school has an allocation of SNA support to provide support for children with primary care needs.
The following arrangements for the allocation of SNA support in respect of students in mainstream classes for 2022/23 will apply:
a) The SNA allocations for mainstream classes in schools on 31st May 2022 will be maintained for 2022/23. This will provide greater certainty for schools.
b) A process for schools, whereby if they consider their SNA allocation is in excess of the required care needs, to engage with the NCSE. Schools should contact their local NCSE Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO) to commence the process.
c) The exceptional review process undertaken by NCSE will remain in place throughout the 2022/23 school year, where schools can seek a review of their SNA allocations which will result in one of the following outcomes:
i. No change in the level of care need identified (and no change in the resultant SNA allocation);
ii. Increase in the level of care need identified (which if significant would see an increase in the SNA allocations to the schools) ;
iii. Decrease in level of care need identified in the school (which if significant would result in a reduction in SNA allocations as the care need could be managed with less resources than are currently allocated); In relation to outcome iii, the SNA allocation will be adjusted at the end of the relevant school term.
It is expected that schools will review and reprioritise the deployment of SNAs within mainstream settings and allocate resources to ensure those with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of support. Providing access to SNA support continues to be based on primary care needs as outlined in DES Circular 0030/2014 circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/education/2014/30.pdf.
Following such a review and reprioritisation, it is expected that a small number of schools, e.g. developing schools, may not have a sufficient SNA allocation to meet the needs of their students. These schools can apply to the NCSE for an Exceptional Review of their allocation.
Detailed information on the NCSE Exceptional Review process is published on the NCSE website. ncse.ie/application-for-sna-exceptional-review.
The NCSE will endeavour to respond to all applications for Exceptional Review received as expediently as possible and in that regard, it will prioritise applications from schools with no current SNA allocation and developing schools. The Exceptional Review process for mainstream allocations will be available to schools throughout the 2022/23 school year.
The NCSE has developed an appeal mechanism for schools who are not satisfied with the outcome of the Exceptional Review. Local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) will provide information and clarification to schools on the outcome where requested. Where schools wish to appeal the outcome of the review, they must do so using the prescribed form provided by the NCSE ncse.ie/ncse-appeals-process.
The NCSE has published the SNA allocations for the 2022/23 school year and they are available at ncse.ie/set-hours-and-sna-allocations.
All schools have the contact details of their local SENO, and the SENO is available to offer assistance and advice to the school. 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 provision of health-related supports, including Speech and Language therapy services, is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive, and matters in relation to the provision of health-related services should therefore be directed to that body or to the Department of Health.
School Staff
Questions (273, 274)
Brendan Griffin
Question:273. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if there is an existing panel of qualified educational psychologists in the south-west; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51020/22]
View answerBrendan Griffin
Question:274. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the reason that a current educational psychologist post vacancy in the south-west is not being filled from the existing educational psychologist panel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51028/22]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 273 and 274 together.
The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department provides a much valued service to all recognised primary and post-primary schools. The service provided by NEPS is broad, and encompasses a model that seeks to strengthen the overall capacity of the system to support the wellbeing, participation and inclusion of all children and young people in our schools, but particularly for those with special educational needs. In schools the psychologist works with teachers, parents and children/young people to provide a range of services.
The NEPS service provides access for all schools to:
- Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident
- A Casework Service for individual children where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment and
- A school staff Support and Development Service, to build school capability to provide a comprehensive continuum of support in schools
- Ongoing access to advice and support for schools.
This overall approach allows psychologists to give early attention to urgent individual cases and, through supporting school staff, to benefit many more children than could be seen individually.
In 2021 the NEPS casework service extended to over 8500 students. Additionally, under the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) process, private psychologists provided assessment to schools for over 900 students. Furthermore, the NEPS Support and Development service reaches an estimated 25,000 teachers annually.
Where a vacancy arises in NEPS, schools continue to have access to NEPS for critical incident support, for regional support and development service and also to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries, through the local NEPS office. In relation to a casework service, schools may access a casework service, where there is need, via psychologists on the SCPA panel. The local NEPS office is available to discuss any other requirements that schools may have.
Officials in my Department recently met with the Public Appointments Service regarding a recruitment process that is due to commence before the end of this year.
Question No. 274 answered with Question No. 273.
School Staff
Questions (275)
Peter Burke
Question:275. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on career breaks for teachers (details supplied). [51038/22]
View answerWritten answers
The terms and conditions of the Career Break Scheme for teachers are contained in my Department’s Circular Letter 54/2019 (Chapter 7). A Career Break is a period of unpaid special leave for not less than 1 school year. It may be extended on an annual basis provided the total period of the Career Break does not exceed 5 years at any one time, subject to an overall maximum of 10 years absence during a teacher’s career.
Under the Career Break Scheme, a teacher may not be employed in an approved teaching or special needs assistant post funded by monies provided by the Oireachtas. However, in exceptional circumstances, an employer may appoint a qualified teacher on Career Break for substitute teaching purposes subject to a maximum of (a) 90 days in a school year at primary level and (b) 300 hours in a school year at post primary level.
However, in response to teacher supply issues, my Department published Information Note TC 0010/2022 on 6th October 2022 to state for the 2022/23 school year, a teacher who is on a Career Break may be employed in a substitute capacity without any limits applied.
School Transport
Questions (276)
Bernard Durkan
Question:276. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education if and when school transport will be facilitated in the case of the daughter of a person (details supplied) who has been refused school transport despite the school being their nearest post-primary all-Irish school; if arrangements can be made to ensure that she can avail of the school transport service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51054/22]
View answerWritten answers
The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
In July 2022, Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport scheme fees for the coming school year as part of a wider package of cost of living measures.
Ticket registration for the 2022/23 school year closed on 29 July by which time almost 130,000 applications/registrations were received for mainstream school transport. This figure includes 44,299 new applications as well as roll-overs from the previous school year.
Bus Éireann has advised that a ticket request was received for the child referred to by the Deputy on 29/08/2022. The child was unsuccessful in obtaining a seat on board a school transport service for the 2022/23 school year as the existing service was already operating to capacity.
Special Educational Needs
Questions (277)
Michael Ring
Question:277. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education the reason that a visit to a school (details supplied) in County Mayo has not taken place given that this visit was promised over a month ago. [51085/22]
View answerWritten answers
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.
The school can apply to the NCSE for a review of its SNA allocation if it is insufficient to meet the needs of its students. Detailed information on the NCSE Exceptional Review process is published on the NCSE website. ncse.ie/application-for-sna-exceptional-review.
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 in order to observe the current deployment of SNA support in the school setting.
The timeframe for concluding a review can vary depending on the school context or the nature of the information provided.
As this question relates to the statistics on the review process carried out by the NCSE, I have referred the question to the NCSE for their direct reply.