Robert Troy
Question:316. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education how a school requests a NEPS assessment for a student. [17949/24]
View answerTuesday, 23 April 2024
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NEPS is a school-based service, which provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. NEPS support teachers to intervene effectively with children and young people whose needs range from mild to severe, and from transient to enduring.
NEPS encourages schools to use a continuum based assessment and intervention process whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and intervention for pupils with learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties.
If the school has concerns that a student is not making reasonable progress, following evidence-informed support and intervention, the school may request the direct involvement of the NEPS psychologist. Students can only be prioritised for NEPS involvement by the school principal, or by a staff member designated by the Principal. Referrals cannot be made by any other person. A request for involvement (referral) is accepted from the school principal in consultation with the psychologist or the advisory psychologist where the school currently does not have an assigned psychologist. When deciding who to prioritise for involvement with NEPS, school principals consider those students who present with the greatest level of need, in that particular school context.
Under the Special Education Teacher (SET) Allocation Model introduced by the Department of Education in 2017, Special Education Teacher allocation is frontloaded into schools to support children with special educational/additional needs. The model gives schools the capacity to respond to individual needs in a flexible way and pupils do not have to have a psychological assessment, or a diagnosis of a disability, in order to access Special Education Teaching. This means that those with the highest level of need can access the highest level of support within the school in a timely manner. The term Special Education Needs (SEN) used in school guidelines includes children and young people with social and emotional needs, academic needs as well as needs associated with physical, sensory, and language and communication difficulties.