Sorca Clarke
Question:291. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the number of children per county that are receiving additional supports for deafness or hard of hearing. [34110/23]
View answerTuesday, 11 July 2023
Questions (291)
Written answers
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.
For 2023, the spend by my department on special education has been substantially increased by over 10% on last year, meaning that for 2023 my department will spend over €2.6 billion on special education.
This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the department’s total allocation for 2023.
This includes funding to support children with special educational needs in mainstream classes; funding for new special classes and new special school places; additional special educational teachers, special needs assistants (SNAs) and funding for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).
In 2023, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 686 teachers and a further 1,194 SNAs in our schools.
For the first time ever there will be over 19,000 teachers working in the area of special education and over 20,000 SNAs. Together we have almost 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs.
The supports provided by my department for deaf or hard of hearing students can include; the visiting teacher service, SNA and translator allocation and assistive technology supports provided within the home, mainstream, special class and special school setting.
Other supports include those provided by the NCSE to teachers and schools, such as; visits, phone calls, emails, and courses for whole staff, group and individual teachers which are tailored to the specific professional learning needs within a school.
The visiting teaching service for students who are deaf or hard of hearing is provided by qualified teachers with particular skills and knowledge of the development and education of children with varying degrees of hearing loss. They offer longitudinal support to children, their families and schools from the time of referral through to the end of post-primary education.
The level of assessed need for this service varies, with the majority of children requiring termly/bi-annual/annual supports.
In the 2022/23 school year there were 24 special classes for deaf/hard of hearing children across 14 mainstream schools – 17 in primary and 7 in post-primary – with approximately 132 pupils enrolled. With one class catering for 10 pupils within an early intervention setting. These classes work on a student teacher ratio of 7:1.
For the 2023/24 school year, the NCSE has sanctioned one additional class in County Laois. This will bring the number of special classes in mainstream schools that cater for deaf and hard of hearing children to 25 – 17 at primary and 8 at post-primary level.
In addition, there are two special schools dedicated to 170 deaf/hard of hearing students. These special schools cater for children nationwide.
Please see attachment with breakdown of supports provided per county.
My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.