Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2024
288. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education the reason her Department has issued Circular 0002/24 which proposes to eliminate the category of "complex educational needs" from consideration when allocating special education teacher hours; if this will be reversed; if not, the steps being taken to ensure adequate SET hours for those students who will be affected by this change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10117/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to thank the Deputy for the question.
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers.
In 2023, my department spent over €2.6 billion on special education and further progress will be made this year as an additional €113m will be dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs.
As the SET allocation model has been in place since 2017 based on a 2014 NCSE report, my Department believed a review of the model was prudent. The department commenced a review in late 2022 to ensure that the model was meeting the changing needs in special education.
The review examined the following:
• The individual inputs (components) of the model
• The validity and reliability of the data used for each component
• Feedback from our education partners and individual schools
The review of the SET allocation model further identified that a programme of continuous development was required to ensure that the model was delivering effectively, both in supporting the changing needs in the education system, and for individual schools.
A high level roadmap has been discussed and agreed with our education partners during a series of consultations to enhance the inputs and improve the sensitivity of the model.
The journey of enhancement begins with the 2024/25 allocation by ensuring that the model has a strong foundation.
The key to building a solid foundation is ensuring that the data, for each pillar within the model, is already available to the department and provided by schools. Where data used in the model is received from external sources, it is critical that the information is being received on a consistent basis.
The complex needs input, which was introduced in the 2017 model, was predicated on the provision of data from the HSE Children Disability Network Teams on children entering junior infants with special education needs who were assessed or triaged for a waiting list for assessment.
The review highlighted concerns in relation to the veracity and the consistency of the data provided on a national basis by the CDNT. This resulted in the potential for significant variations from one area of the country to another. In addition, it is not possible to verify whether all data reported relates solely to educational need as distinct from care needs, which are resourced through the Special Needs Assistant allocation process, or medical needs.
To ensure that schools are not negatively impacted by these issues, all existing hours assigned for complex needs are being maintained for each school and future data from the CDNT will not be used as a value in the model. This is being done by reapportioning this value at individual school level across the remaining pillars with an emphasis on the Literacy and Numeracy category which demonstrates where additional teaching supports are required. This exercise strengthens the model to give a sustainable allocation to schools, which recognises where there are significant learning needs.
At primary, the Educational Teaching needs profile is calculated based on educational outcome (STen) data which are collected and held within schools and submitted to the Department of Education. At post primary, the data used is Junior Cycle results. Hence, the profiles are directly correlated to, and focused on, pupils with the greatest level of teaching need in the areas of literacy and numeracy.
In addition, to ensure children with the greatest level of need are addressed by the model all pupils who are marked as exempt (approx. 1% of the population) are included as STen 1 to ensure that the school receives an allocation to support them. STen 1 & 2 scores (including exempted) would align in general to pupils in our education system who are in need of the greatest level of teaching support.
The review of the SET model focused on ensuring that we had the best possible data available to inform the distribution of resources to our schools.
Our policy relating to supporting all of our children in our schools based on their level of need remains.
The policy that individual schools are required to adhere to is the principle that the allocation is utilised to ensure that those pupils with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of support and this remains unchanged.
Therefore the revised profiles are directly correlated to, and focused on, pupils with the greatest level of need in the areas of literacy and numeracy.
In addition, over the last number of years we have seen significant growth in special classes from 548 in 2011 to 2,921 in 2024, with 390 opened in the past year alone. We have also opened new special schools with 130 special schools nationwide with an enrolment of over 8,700 students. A significant number of pupils who were previously supported in mainstream are now supported in these settings.
These elements of the continuum of education provision are resourced separately to the SET model.
I would like to assure you that there have been no cuts to mainstream Special Education Teaching posts in the education system. There are now more Special Education Teaching posts than ever before in schools.
For 2024/25 there will be 14,600 SETs – double the figure from 2014 and an increase of 1,000 from the 2020/21 school year. 205
My department is committed to ongoing engagement with our education partners in relation to future developments and enhancements to the SET model.
The Department acknowledges that every school is different, and that schools can experience unique circumstances that may be difficult to reflect in any standardised method. This is always a challenge when making allocations in respect of 4,000 schools. It is for this reason that the Department, working with the NCSE has streamlined the review process for special education teachers and schools who have any concerns can engage with the NCSE on their allocation.
