Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2015
488. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the allocation of special needs assistants for the 2015-16 school year has not yet been published; her views on whether it would be beneficial for school managers to be made aware of their allocations before the close of business of the 2014-15 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27197/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating SNA support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.
The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support and these criteria by are set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.
All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed.
On conclusion of this process, the NCSE evaluated the level of SNAs required to meet the needs of schools for the coming year and advised the Department on the quantum of SNAs that would need to be provided to meet this need.
This information was received by the Department on 15th June and my Department is currently working to finalise its consideration of this as quickly as possible.
Details of SNA allocations to schools for 2015/16 will be available on the NCSE website on completion of this process.
