Sorca Clarke
Question:360. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the criteria for prioritising literacy and numeracy profiles of schools estimated from the results of standardised testing. [6659/24]
View answerTuesday, 13 February 2024
Questions (360)
Written answers
I would like to thank the Deputy for the question.
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.
In 2023, my department spent over €2.6 billion on special education and further progress will be made this year as an additional €113m will be dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs.
The SET allocation model is designed to distribute additional teaching resources across the entire school system. This is to ensure that additional teaching resources are available to support pupils with the greatest level of learning need. There is a defined level of resources available to distribute across the whole school system.
A unique educational profile is created for each school and is underpinned by three pillars;
1. Enrolment Allocation (sourced from POD/PPOD)
2. Educational Teaching Needs Profile (derived from the literacy and numeracy profile of the school as demonstrated by the STen scores for English/Irish and Maths and Junior Cycle data
3. Educational Disadvantage (pupil data from POD/PPOD combined with data from the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas, which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area)
The Educational Teaching needs profile is calculated based on educational outcome data which are collected and held within schools and submitted to the Department of Education. Hence, the profiles are directly correlated to, and focused on, pupils with the greatest level of need in the areas of literacy and numeracy.
These are a consistent and reliable indicator to identify additional learning need, particularly those with the highest level of need. This data is being taken over a 3 year period so that the model can be sensitive to any short term fluctuations and means those schools that need it most will get the sustained support required.
In the review of the model consideration was given to those students with multiple needs and who may not have undertaken standardised testing and this has been incorporated in the model.
As the SET allocation model has been in place since 2017 based on a 2014 NCSE report, my Department believed a review of the model was prudent. The department commenced a review in late 2022 to ensure that the model was meeting the changing needs in special education.
The review of the SET allocation model identified that a programme of continuous development was required to ensure that the model was delivering effectively, both in supporting the changing needs in the education system, and for individual schools.
The journey of enhancement begins with the 2024/25 allocation by ensuring that the model has a strong foundation.
A phased high level plan has been compiled to further enhance the model over the coming years. The department intends to undertake further detailed consultations with our education partners in the development of future enhancements to the model.