Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:202. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education if she will address matters in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18590/24]
View answerThursday, 25 April 2024
Questions (202)
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 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.
The Special Education Teaching (SET) allocation model for 2024/25 is based on information from all 4,000 schools in the country. The model distributes the total available number of SET posts in line with each school’s profile of need.
The model seeks to distribute teaching resources in the fairest possible manner, taking into account as much evidence as possible in respect of individual schools and evidence in respect of the best possible use of resources. Schools must adhere to the guidance on the use of SET hours and support all children with additional teaching needs using the continuum of support framework.
The revised model is providing an annual allocation of SET hours, using the best possible available data sources and is ensuring that the right resource is available at the right time to meet the needs of children with special educational needs. Schools have autonomy to deploy those resources to meet the needs of their students. In this regard it is important to note that 67% of all schools saw their allocation increase or remain the same, whereas 33% saw a reduction in hours. Of those schools who saw a reduction in hours 90% was a result of falling enrolment.
The department acknowledges that every school is different, and that schools can experience unique circumstances that may be difficult to reflect in any standardised method. This is always a challenge when making allocations in respect of 4,000 schools. It is for this reason that the department, working with the NCSE has streamlined the review process for SET hours and schools who have any concerns can engage with the NCSE on their allocation.
Reviews are being conducted by the NCSE, between March and May, to better enable schools to plan for the following September. An internal NCSE review panel will consider the application ensuring that the school have clearly evidenced that the overall level of SET allocation in this school does not have capacity to meet this additional identified need.
Additional resources will be provided to schools in cases where the NCSE have identified that this is required.
This review process has now commenced with reviews being considered on a weekly basis with first priority given to schools who are developing or rapidly developing. A total of 218 applications have been received from schools.
A weekly process for consideration of submitted reviews is in place between the department and the NCSE so that schools can be advised at the earliest opportunity.
It is important to note that SET hours are only one component of support for children in mainstream classes. The most important support is the mainstream class teacher. The student/teacher ratio at primary level is now 23:1 which means there are more mainstream teachers than ever before in our educational system.
The department has adapted to the dynamic landscape of student enrolment. This has been particularly effective in the context of the pace and volume of newly arrived students fleeing the war in Ukraine and the ongoing increase in students, who require English as an Additional Language (EAL) supports to fully access the curriculum.
My department has prioritised enhancing EAL support, recognising the critical role of language proficiency in successful integration and academic achievement.
These supports to schools are provided for new-entrant students i.e., students who arrived in the country in the last 2 years with an EAL requirement. Similar to previous years, supports may also be provided to schools with a high concentration of students that are not classified as new-entrant but who have an EAL need i.e., those pupils with less than 3 years EAL support and register less than B1 in an English proficiency test.
My department’s Inspectorate report 'Meeting Additional Language Needs: Whole-school and Classroom Approaches for Inclusive Language Learning' outlines the best practice approaches in the teaching and learning of EAL involving mainstream teachers. The report underscores the importance of English language provision for educational equity and wellbeing and applauds schools for promoting diversity and belonging. My department will use its recommendations to enhance learning experiences across all schools.
All schools are advised in the first instance to review whether the needs of newly enrolled pupils can be met from within existing allocations. Language supports are also included through SET which encompasses an element of EAL support allocation. Under the SET model, schools are frontloaded with resources to provide support immediately to those students who need it without delay.
My department's policies enable flexible resource allocation to ensure that the resources follow children in the event of them changing schools. Schools may also apply for further language support by an application process during the school year, should their circumstances change.
The school referred to by the Deputy was allocated 1 fixed term EAL post for the 2023/24 school year. The school have submitted an application for EAL support for the 2024/25 school year and have been provisionally allocated 10 part time language support hours for 5 new entrant pupils.
Schools who are unhappy with their EAL allocation following consideration of their application can appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeal Board. The next meeting is to be held in June 2024.
I can also confirm to the Deputy that an application under the Additional Schools’ Accommodation (ASA) Scheme was received by my department from the school in 2022. The application related to the provision of accommodation for a special education needs class and for additional and replacement accommodation for special education tuition.
The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area.
In February 2023 the department’s Professional and Technical team undertook a feasibility study to establish whether the accommodation sought could be provided on the school site. The study established the site was too restricted for additional accommodation. The school subsequently proposed leasing space from the neighbouring Franciscan community. On foot of this proposal a member of the Professional and Technical team carried out a site visit in July 2023 with a view to determining if the proposal was feasible. The site visit established the project was technically feasible and recommended a feasibility report be completed by a competent architect or engineer.
The department has a significant modular accommodation programme in place to assist schools in the provision of additional capacity, including in respect of facilitating the establishment of special classes. This programme involves the use of project management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and help ease the administrative workload for school authorities in relation to the management and delivery of projects.
I can advise the Deputy that the project is currently awaiting progression to the department’s project managers. Our main focus is on the most critical needs for the next school year. As part of its overall programme planning for 2024 school accommodation needs, my department is now examining enrolment data from the current school year and data on accommodation capacity at schools. This is in order to reassess and identify critical accommodation requirements for the next school year, with a view to advancing these to formal approval stage. Once the critical accommodation needs for the next school year have progressed the project for the school in question will proceed.