Áine Collins
Ceist:201 Deputy Áine Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will appoint a special needs assistant to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [4891/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 31 January 2012
Ceisteanna (162, 163)
Freagraí scríofa
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 to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. This now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts.
The NCSE has now advised all mainstream schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, of their SNA allocation for the current school year, taking into account the care needs of qualifying pupils attending the school. The NCSE recently published statistical information on SNA allocations on a county by county and school by school basis on its website www.ncse.ie.
I have arranged for Deputy's question regarding an individual application for SNA support to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
Micheál Martin
Ceist:202 Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath will retain all of its special needs assistant posts this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4895/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. This now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts.
The NCSE has advised all mainstream schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, of their SNA allocation for the current school year, taking into account the care needs of qualifying pupils attending the school. The NCSE recently published statistical information on SNA allocations on a county by county and school by school basis on its website www.ncse.ie.
The Deputy will also be aware that Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with disabilities in an educational context. SNA allocations are not permanent as the level of SNA support allocated to a school may be increased or decreased as pupils who qualify for SNA support enrol or leave a school or where a child's care needs may have diminished over time. The allocation of SNAs in each school can therefore alter from year to year.
Schools will be invited to make applications to the NCSE for SNA support for the 2012/13 school year by 16th March, 2012 and will subsequently be advised of their allocation for the next school year, based on the number of valid applications received and the extent of the care needs of qualifying children.