Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 December 2018
188. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to implement a study of the requirements for special school places, particularly in the area of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, and complex needs (details supplied). [52763/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive (HSE).
This includes identifying the need for special class and special school placements nationally on an ongoing basis.
The NCSE is aware of emerging need from year to year, and where specialised provision is required to support children with Special Educational Needs including Autism, it is planned and established to meet that need.
My Department's policy is to provide for the inclusive education of children with special educational needs, including Autism (ASD), in mainstream school settings, unless such a placement would not be in the best interests of the child concerned, or the children with whom they will be educated.
The greater proportion of children with ASD attend mainstream class, where they may access additional supports if required.
Some students with ASD, although academically able to access the curriculum in mainstream, may find it too difficult to manage full-time placement there and placement in an ASD special class should be considered.
Special classes are part of a continuum of educational provision that enables students with more complex special educational needs to be educated, in smaller class groups, within their local mainstream schools. They offer a supportive learning environment to students who are unable to access the curriculum in a mainstream class, even with support, for most or all of their school day.
Students enrolled in special classes should be included in mainstream classes to the greatest extent possible, in line with their abilities.
Special school placements are provided for other students with ASD and very complex special needs who wouldn’t manage in a mainstream school even for part of the week. Enrolment of a child in a special school is based on a professional assessment in consultation with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
From time to time, the NCSE identifies local areas where additional provision is required. In those circumstances, Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO) work with the schools and families concerned to resolve the issues involved.
My Department is aware that the establishment of special provision in some schools and communities can be challenging.
The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 will assist in addressing this issue in areas where the NCSE is of the opinion that there is insufficient education provision for children with special educational needs.
Section 8 of the Act, which commenced on Monday 3rd December 2018, provides the Minister with a power, after a process of consultation with the NCSE, the board of management and the patron of the school, to compel a school to make additional provision for the education of children with special educational needs.
My Department continues to work with the NCSE to ensure that there is appropriate planning in place to ensure that all children who require special class placements can access such placements in schools within their communities. To this end the Department and the NCSE have convened a working group to put in place a new working protocol to ensure that there is effective pro-active planning and timely delivery of specialist educational places for students in special classes and special schools.
The focus of the working group is to guide the development of necessary placements in schools in the short, medium and longer terms to meet the anticipated needs of pupils and to ensure that any necessary school building or refurbishment and school transport considerations are resolved as early as possible so that placement options can be accessed where and when they are needed.
