Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 May 2012
7Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that in the review of the school funding due to be carried out by the National Council for Special Education that no further cuts will be applied that will reduce the number of special needs assistants at schools (details supplied) in County Wexford. [25798/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra22Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reasons for the delays in the planned review of the special needs assistant allocation at a school (details supplied) in County Wexford which was due to take place in April; if parents and students will be informed of any changes to the SNA allocation arising out of this review before the end of the school year; if parents and students will have the right to appeal the decision of the special education needs organiser; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25926/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 22 together.
The National Council for Special Education is responsible for allocating special needs assistants to schools to support children with special educational needs. The council operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of such supports and within the staffing resources available to my Department. All schools, including the schools referred to in Questions Nos. 7 and 22, were advised to apply to the council for special needs support for the 2012-13 school year by 16 March 2012. In considering applications for special needs support for the new school year, the National Council for Special Education will take account of the individual care needs of all qualifying children, the supports freed up by school leavers, if any, and the identified care needs of newly enrolled children with special educational needs. A review of special needs support at the schools referred to by the Deputies will take place in the coming weeks. Schools will be advised by the council of their special needs assistant allocation for the 2012-13 school year by June of this year. The council is developing an appeals process which is intended to be in place for the 2012-13 school year allocations process.
I have a particular interest in this issue, which affects many schools throughout the country, including the two schools referred to in the question tabled by my colleague, Deputy Martin Ferris. We are calling on the Minister to reverse the cuts in funding for the autistic spectrum disorder units at Scoil Mhuire and St. Senan's national school in Enniscorthy. We commend the teachers, parents and supporters of both schools on their determination in opposing the losses of special needs assistants and teaching staff that have been inflicted on them. The decision earlier in the year not to include rural DEIS schools in the review of the cuts in teaching posts that were announced in budget 2012 has had far-reaching consequences. The special needs assistant allocations of both of these schools in County Wexford had already been slashed. Any hope that Scoil Mhuire would retain its five teaching posts was quickly dashed.
Any further cuts at Scoil Mhuire or at St. Senan's national school arising from the National Council for Special Education review would make it extremely difficult for the teachers in either school to continue to deliver the current standard of education to the children under their tutelage. The cuts that have been directed at both of these schools are threatening the tremendous progress that has been made in addressing special needs, particularly autistic spectrum disorders, and in facilitating students to overcome the difficulties associated with coming from a disadvantaged socio-economic group. One staff member has said that reductions in staff and resources are making it difficult to sustain the calibre of education offered to the approximately 560 students at Scoil Mhuire. It is absolutely vital that no more cuts are imposed in either of these schools as a result of the funding review that is being carried out by the National Council for Special Education.
I wonder what we have against children who are classified as having autistic spectrum disorders. The policy of the Department of Social Protection seems to be that the parents of children with autism are no longer entitled to domiciliary care allowance. It seems that the assessment done to determine the level of special needs assistance required by a child is based more on the availability of funding than on the level of intervention required by the child. Children with autism in my local area used to receive very few supports. In many cases, the only option was to put them into special schools. I have observed improvement after improvement over the years. It is very wrong to see those improvements being reversed. If the parents of children with autism problems continue to be financially penalised, we will return to the era when such parents had no option other than to send their children to special schools. That would be a wrong and retrograde step.
I know of the Deputy's interest in this matter. I will confine my remarks to Scoil Mhuire. I can send information on the other school to the Deputy in written form if he wishes. I know we are facing time constraints. There are 45 teachers and 17.75 special assistants at Scoil Mhuire, which had an enrolment of 559 pupils on 30 September 2010. The school's three classes for children with autism have an enrolment of 17 children. The school's special needs assistant allocation of 17.75 posts for the 2011-12 school year includes 12 special needs assistants who support the autistic spectrum disorders unit and 5.75 special needs assistants who support nine pupils with special educational needs in mainstream classes. The school's special needs assistant allocation for 2010-11 was 25.5 posts, which means there was a reduction of 7.75 special needs assistant posts at the school in September 2011. That reduction resulted from changing enrolments, diminishing care needs and the need to readjust the allocation of special needs assistant support at the school's autistic spectrum disorders unit from the model of one-to-one special needs assistant support that had developed to a model closer to the recommended ratio for the staffing of such units, which is that there should be one special needs assistant for every three pupils while taking the individual care needs of children into account. The unit currently has a ratio of more than four special needs assistants for every six pupils, which is significantly in excess of the recommended ratio, which would provide for two specials needs assistants for every six pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder, as outlined in the Department's circular 0038/10. There are also three teachers at the unit, which gives a total of 15 staff to support 17 students in the autistic spectrum disorder unit. My heart goes out to any parent who is in a situation where their child is in need of special support. In a way, they cannot get enough support and one would not be human if one did not respond in that way. However, I am not an expert in this area. We have to be guided by specialists who are under the National Council for Special Educational Needs. We implement the recommendations that they advise and they make the decisions in regard to the allocation of support services for children with special educational needs and related requirements in this area.
This is complex, very emotional and very difficult. However, we cannot ring-fence it entirely in terms of resources. Even allowing for that, as the supplementary information in this reply will indicate to the Deputy, nothing is static. There is movement in the system that has nothing to do with resources per se because of changes in the involvement. If the Deputy wishes, I will get him full details in regard to this matter and in regard to St. Senan’s school in Wexford also. I suspect Deputy Wallace would have a similar interest but I am constrained by time pressures.
I have been familiar with the two schools for a long time. I have been speaking to a number of the parents, some of whom made contact with the Minister.
Yes, they did.
They were hoping the Minister would find time, despite his busy life, to visit the school. I have heard the Minister outline the figures and I realise this whole area is a huge cost to the Department of Education and Skills. However, the situation of many of these parents and their children is difficult given the cuts they have already suffered. Their children were participating somewhat in mainstream education but that has had to stop because there has not been enough attention. While I know there is not an endless supply of money, these children are very vulnerable.
The Minister said that experts make the decisions. It would be great if the Minister could find the time to see the situation for himself to decide whether he is in agreement with the parents that they cannot suffer any more cuts. They find it hard not to cry when they are talking to me. It is very difficult, which I know the Minister understands. The parents are frustrated that they have found it very difficult to get responses from the Department. Their calls have not been returned for four months now and they feel they have been facing a wall of silence from the Department and the Government. It would be great if there were channels of communication. If the Minister could find the time to visit, it would be magnificent.
I have heard what the Deputy has suggested and I will take it into consideration.
