Thomas Gould
Question:7. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education the additional resources provided to special education schools in 2023. [44993/23]
View answerTuesday, 17 October 2023
Questions (7)
Written answers
I would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:
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.
While the additional funding made available in recent years to provide more special education teachers, special needs assistants (SNAs), NCSE supports and the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) supports in our schools is significant, it is accepted that there are a range of additional challenges facing our special schools. Last years Budget has provided for at least 124 additional SNAs and at least 42 additional teachers in our special schools for 2023.
These schools support children and young people with the most complex special educational needs and need to invest significant time to establish and foster positive links between the home, school and other agencies.
My Department has been actively engaging with the representative bodies for boards of management, particularly the body representing special schools, the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education (NABMSE) over the last year or more to address some of these additional challenges.
In November and December 2023 NABMSE facilitated a series of meetings nationwide with special schools. This engagement has focused in on a number of issues including:
a. The challenges attached to the designation of special schools as primary schools (the vast majority of special schools enrol students from 4 through to 18) and how this could be addressed
b. The resources necessary for special schools to support their students and
c. How best to ensure that all children who require it have access to a summer programme.
Following this close engagement with special schools, and aware of the challenges facing special schools from my own engagement with and visits to these schools, I was determined to introduce a number of new measures to support special schools. Some of these measures require additional budgetary provision and I was delighted to be able to announce last week that Budget 2024 has provided for two very targeted measures to support our special schools.
Firstly, the removal of the current 15 teacher threshold for the appointment of Administrative Deputy Principals in special schools which cater for children with special educational needs, so that all of these schools, rather than just a quarter of them, can benefit from having an Administrative Deputy Principal. These posts will be instrumental in assisting Principals with leadership and management functions and to support learning and parental and community engagement. This will make a real difference to staff and students in our special schools.
Secondly an additional allocation of 100 teaching posts will be provided to special schools. I am very conscious that our special schools provide an education for children and young people aged from 4 – 18 years of age and these posts will allow schools to deliver a greater range of the national curriculum subjects and to improve student progression and transition.
In addition, special schools will also benefit from the increase in capitation grants for all schools. I was also happy to secure funding to continue to provide an enhanced summer programme for students with special educational needs, with a focus again on children in special schools.
These measures build on a number of additional supports provided for in Budget 2023, including increased NEPs psychologists to allow all special schools have greater access to educational psychological support and funding for an increase in frontline staff in the NCSE to support special schools. I was very happy to recently announce the new national recruitment campaign by the NCSE to hire additional Special Educational Needs Organisers.
In addition to these budgetary measures, my Department is also working closely with the NCSE to further support special schools in relation to a range of issues relating to administration, curriculum and training.
Questions Nos. 8 to 13, inclusive, answered orally.