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Special Educational Needs

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 March 2022

Thursday, 10 March 2022

Ceisteanna (89)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

89. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education her views on the extent of forward-planning undertaken by her Department to ensure that all children with special educational needs receive a suitable school place in their local area. [13484/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I wish to assure the Deputy that the provision of appropriate accommodation for pupils with special education needs is an absolute priority for Minister Madigan and myself.  My Department works closely with the National Council for Special Education (or NCSE) to ensure that there are sufficient school places available to meet the needs of students throughout the State, including students with special education needs. My Department’s policy is that students with special education needs should be included, where possible and appropriate, in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where students with special education needs require more specialised interventions a continuum of education provision extends including access to special school or special class places.

The NCSE is responsible for planning and coordinating special education provision at both a local and a national level and advising my Department in this regard.  In recent years my Department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school-year

Through this alignment and integration of NCSE and Departmental planning and forecasting processes at both national and local level, my Department works to ensure that specialist education places come on stream to meet emerging demand on a timely basis. The active collaboration of school communities is essential in this regard.

The planning process involves the NCSE establishing current and anticipated demand for special education provision locally and nationally. Through its local network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (or SENOs), the NCSE establishes demand for special classes on an ongoing basis at a local level. The local SENO engages with parents, local schools, HSE officials and other stakeholders to determine demand.

Additionally, short, medium and long term planning is undertaken at national and regional level based on projected future population demographics and the average percentage of school going population requiring special class places.  The future population demographics is linked with my Department’s demographic analysis of future mainstream school place requirements, thereby enabling an integrated approach.

The information gathered by the NCSE at a local level on demand for special education placements is collated at a national level to identify areas of potential unmet demand. This in turn informs the long term forecasting of demand for such provision, over a rolling 5 year period, which in turn facilitates planning for special education placements in special classes and special schools. 

Utilising all this information, the NCSE and my Department work closely to plan how best to address this identified unmet demand in those areas in an integrated way, such as utilising suitable existing or new accommodation, as well as the resourcing requirements for schools.  This is an ongoing process, with forecasts being continually updated to ensure that special education provision is put in place when and where required. 

I am satisfied that my Department’s more joined up approach is delivering. Through this intensive intervention, we have seen an additional 301 special classes, providing over 1,800 new places, opened nationwide for the 2021/22 school-year.

I also acknowledge that notwithstanding the extent of this investment, there are some parts of the country where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regarding a shortage of school places.  However, the NCSE has well-established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents and seeks to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class or special school placements.  My Department will continue to work closely with them in this regard.

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