Joan Collins
Ceist:78. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Education the preparations that are been made to progress children with special needs from primary schools to secondary schools. [35385/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 1 July 2021
Ceisteanna (78)
Freagraí scríofa
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government.
This year, just under 25% of the total Education budget or €2bn will be invested in supporting children with special educational needs. As a result, the numbers of special education teachers, SNAs and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.
For the coming school year there will be over 13,600 Special Education Teachers allocated to mainstream schools, who will support class teachers to address the special educational needs and learning needs of pupils who attend mainstream schools.
This year we are also providing for two new special schools and 269 new special classes. We will have a total of 2,118 special classes in 2021/22, which is the largest number of special classes that we have ever had, and compares to 548 classes available in 2011.
18,000 Special Needs Assistants will be available to support the care needs of pupils with special educational needs in our schools.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.
NCSE is planning a further expansion of special class and special school places nationally, to meet identified need. This process is ongoing. Through better planning at both national and local level, it is my objective that specialist education places should come on stream to meet emerging demand on a timely basis.
Planning for future needs takes into consideration the current availability of such places and focuses on those locations where additional provision is required. However, the active collaboration of school communities is essential in this regard.
On an annual basis, the NCSE also provides specific supports to parents regarding educational transitions to special education placements. This includes direct contact with the parents/guardians of students known to the NCSE who are transitioning to special educational placements to provide them with information and supports.
Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) contact the parents and schools of students due to transition from primary to post primary who may require specialist provision at least 2 years in advance of that transition. Depending on the needs of each student, transition plans are put in place with the relevant schools and family.
Parents can access these supports through the NCSE website and contact with their local SENO.
In terms of support generally, a package of nearly €650 million has also been provided to support the reopening of schools. This includes funding for PPE, additional teaching posts, sanitiser, enhanced cleaning, and also funding so that schools could employ replacement teachers, SNAs and administrative staff.
It is acknowledged that the closure of schools for extended periods on two separate occasions, over the past two years, due to COVID restrictions, has meant that this has been a very difficult period for our young people and students.
These difficulties were often even more pronounced for students who have disabilities, or special educational needs, who often found it harder to fully participate with remote education.
It is for this reason that Government confirmed that special education should be a priority as part of school reopening earlier this year with special schools and special classes being prioritised for the earliest stages of school reopening.
In addition to prioritising pupils with special educational needs to return to school, my Department has also provided for a range of measures to support such pupils while out of school.
This included measures to support the provision of teaching support during the school closure period, a supplementary education scheme, and an enhanced summer education programme, which will take place this year.
Schools were also provided with funding as part of the digital strategy and in the two tranches of funding totalling €100m in 2020 were advised to prioritise supporting the purchase of devices for students who may not have access to devices for remote learning.
As the educational environment returns to normality, there will be opportunities to fully reflect on the impact of school closures on children
There is currently some Irish and international research available on the impact of the period of school closures on students.
Understandably, much of this research, focuses on the impact on students with special educational needs and those most at risk of educational disadvantage.
Acknowledging that this is also likely to be the case in this country, my officials are working to consider how best to support schools and students as they return to school in September for the coming school year 2021/22.
Further research will be also be required in Ireland to measure the full extent of the impact that educational disruption has had on children.
It will also need to consider which pupils have been most effected, whether the effects are temporary, or long term, and as to what measures might best alleviate or address this impact.
Further details will be provided in relation to any proposals to mitigate against lost learning time, in the coming weeks, once these considerations have been concluded.
I can assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to prioritise investment in special education.