Under the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. The school principal is responsible for the day to day management of the school.
The appointment and deployment of school staff including teachers and special needs assistants is also the responsibility of the board of management.
All schools are required to have policies in place for the governance of the school. These include policies on enrolment and inclusion. Schools cannot discriminate on the grounds of special needs or disability and are expected to be inclusive. The Department and the National Council for Special Education provide a range of supports and professional development programmes for teachers to promote inclusion in the classroom.
Students with special educational needs can have very complex learning needs and should be taught by qualified and experienced teachers who are equipped with the necessary skills to meet the needs of these students.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates a quantum of SNA support for each school annually. Schools have the autonomy and flexibility to manage their allocation of SNA support in order to utilise this support to the best possible effect.
When a pupil with significant and complex care needs has access to support from a SNA the classroom teacher will work closely with the SNA. However the class teacher continues to have primary responsibility for teaching and learning and for the social and emotional development and progress of the pupil.
Many children with significant special educational needs require additional teaching support in schools. In such circumstances, the classroom teacher will be supported by Special Education teachers, who are fully qualified teachers who will have access to additional training in the area of special education, and who will work closely with the class teacher to provide additional teaching support for children with special educational needs (SEN).
There are established procedures in place for dealing with complaints from parents. These should be addressed to the individual teacher or principal in the first instance as appropriate and thereafter to the Board of Management if not resolved.
The Office of the Ombudsman for Children may independently investigate complaints relating to the administrative actions of a school recognised by my Department, provided the parent has firstly and fully followed the school’s complaints procedures. The key criterion for any intervention by the Ombudsman for Children is that the administrative actions of a school has, or may have, adversely affected the child.
