Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 February 2023
342. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education the total number of early intervention classes in place and the children reached; and the number getting home tuition in the same category of need. [9640/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.
For 2023, the spend by the Department on special education will be substantially increased by over 10% on last year, meaning that for 2023 my Department will spend over €2.6 billion on special education.
This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the Department’s total allocation for 2023.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide. Responsibility for provision in the early years sector lies with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY).
The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides up to two years of preschool within the eligible age range, without charge. The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), introduced in 2016, enables the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities/additional needs in the ECCE Programme. The goal of AIM is to create a more inclusive environment in preschools, so all children, regardless of ability, can benefit from quality early learning and care. A diagnosis of autism (or other disabilities/additional needs) is not required to access AIM supports. However, preschool children with a diagnosis are generally supported in mainstream preschools with additional supports provided through AIM where required.
The AIM programme provides seven levels of universal and targeted supports to children with special educational and additional needs. DCEDIY commissioned an evaluation of AIM at the end of its third year. This evaluation was carried out by a consortium led by the University of Derby from December 2020 to December 2021 (delayed due to COVID-19). Its purpose was to investigate the implementation and impact of AIM from the perspective of multiple stakeholders and to consider options for its potential expansion. The final draft version of the evaluation report is currently in preparation. It is expected that the publication of the report will be followed by a period of policy development on the potential for expansion of AIM which will be led by the DCEDIY.
NCSE sanctions the establishment of special classes, including ASD Early Intervention (EI) classes where there is an identified need. There are currently 151 Early intervention classes nationwide. On occasion, EI classes are re-designated as school-age special classes to reflect the changing age-profile of students, the changing needs in an area and in order to ensure a continuation of support for students in the EI class who require a special class placement. Information on the location of EI classes is available on the NCSE website.
The purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement for whom such a placement is not available.
The scheme also provides for early educational intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who meet the scheme’s criteria, aged from 2.5 - 5 years before they start in school. There are 70 children sanctioned for Home Tuition in the 2.5 to 3 years old category and 548 children sanctioned for home tuition in the 3 years + category for the current school year.
Where parents of children, who are eligible for home tuition under the terms of the scheme, and for whom home tuition has been approved, have sought alternative arrangements to be put in place for the tuition, my Department has responded by putting arrangements in place with private preschool providers which provide group tuition to children in a class type setting.
In recognition of the demand for group arrangements by parents of children, who are eligible for Home Tuition under the scheme, my Department now advises all such parents of the option to enter into a group arrangement with other parents of children for whom home tuition has been sanctioned. Currently 425 children of the 548 mentioned above are being catered for through these group arrangements. For the vast majority of the remaining children, they are attending Early years settings supported by the Early Childhood Care & Education Scheme (ECCE) and the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) and are being supplemented by the home tuition grant, until a placement is available in an Early Intervention Class.
