Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2024
33. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education the up-to-date plans for the school inclusion model; the timeline for this plan; if costs have been determined for this plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44957/24]
View answerIn June 2024 I announced the establishment of the Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS), which will see the appointment, on a permanent basis, of 39 occupational and speech and language therapists. The cost of the expansion has been provided for in the NCSE budget and on this basis, the NCSE are fully funded to facilitate the recruitment of the additional therapists required from existing resources. Terms and conditions are being finalised and it is anticipated that recruitment for the remaining therapists will commence shortly.
The expansion of therapy services within the NCSE is expected to build on the achievements and impact of the in-school therapy supports services in the School Inclusion Model (SIM) pilot. SIM provided speech and language and occupational therapists the opportunity to systematically build the capacity of school communities to meet student’s needs.
The overarching purpose of the Educational Therapy Support Service will be to improve learning outcomes for students, ensure teachers are better equipped to support all students and ensure that the right resource is available to meet the needs of individual children to support better educational outcomes.
The Educational Therapy Support Service provides two strands of support: sustained in-school therapy for a period of 24 months, in line with the SIM model and regional therapy support. Regional therapy support includes teacher professional learning seminars with follow-up in-school implementation support and the design and development of therapy resources with education colleagues.
Since the establishment of the Education Therapy Support Service, the NCSE have invited all schools in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow to apply for two years of sustained in-school therapy support, where they would have a Speech and Language Therapist and Occupational Therapist working with their school for two academic years.
A robust prioritisation process ensued and initially 22 schools have been prioritised for NCSE sustained in-school support for 2024-2026. The number of schools being supported under this model is expected to grow in line with recruitment.
Furthermore, regional therapy support has been advertised to all schools in the Dublin Kildare and Wicklow region. The first seminars and in-school support for teachers began in October 2024.
Limerick has been identified as the most suitable hub for the Western region and it is anticipated that schools in Limerick and Tipperary will be invited to apply for sustained in-school support in early 2025, subject to the recruitment of appropriate personnel by the NCSE.
It is envisaged that teacher professional learning seminars for both Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy, with follow up in-school support, will be available nationally for 2025/2026.
