I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 67 together.
The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools in order to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. In relation to the allocation of SNA support, this now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts.
Where additional teaching or care support is allocated by SENOs, in order to support children with special needs, these resources are allocated to schools. It is a matter for schools to utilise those resources to best support the children designated for receipt of such support. Parents should therefore raise any issues that they have regarding resource allocation or utilisation with their school Principal in the first instance. If a parent or school has concerns about the performance of a SENO they should raise this matter directly with the NCSE.
In relation to review procedures for schools, the NCSE issued a Circular to all schools in February of this year which provided guidance to schools with regard to the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocation process for the 2011/2012 school year. A key feature of the amended scheme is to provide for an annual allocation of SNA support to eligible schools.
The NCSE Guidelines to schools stated that "a mechanism will be developed through which schools may seek to have the position in relation to the level of SNA resource revisited. However, given that there is now a finite cap on the level of such supports, the current model of appeal is not appropriate for use in the context of SNA allocation. Therefore the new mechanism for use by schools and parents will be developed after the operation of the above resource allocation process itself has been examined".
This is intended to take place later this year when the 2011/2012 allocations process has been completed. The NCSE will advise schools early in the new school year of any review process to review allocation decisions to ensure that correct procedures were followed and that they comply with my Department's policy. The merits of individual allocation decisions will not be open to appeal under this mechanism.
It will be expected that schools, before requesting a review, will be in a position to demonstrate that they have made every effort to manage their allocation of SNA posts to best effect.