Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 March 2024
376. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education if she will provide further clarity on the proposed changes to the current integration model for children with autism accessing special educational settings and mainstream classes/time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11781/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra377. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education if the proposed changes are made to the current integration model for children with autism accessing special educational settings and mainstream classes/time, how will it affect the long-term integration for children with autism; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11782/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra378. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education the reason there is a proposed cut to hours available to children with additional needs in the settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11783/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra379. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education are other professionals aware of the proposed changes to the current integration model for children with autism accessing special educational settings and mainstream classes/time, how they will impact children, the impact on their education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11784/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 376 to 379, inclusive, together.
I 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 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 guidance to schools on the proper deployment and usage of special education teaching hours remains unchanged, schools must deploy their SET resources in line with the Continuum of Support Special Educational Needs - A Continuum of Support www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/40642/674c98d5e72d48b7975f60895b4e8c9a.pdf#page=null The guiding principle of the continuum is that the student with the greatest level of need should receive the greatest level of support.
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.
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.
There has been some commentary that student with complex needs, are not catered for in this model and that schools do not have the resources to support children with complex needs. This is not the case
The review of the model identified concerns in relation to the completeness and accuracy of the data being provided by the HSE to the Department of Education, which meant that schools for whom no data was returned, even where there was significant need, might lose out. This data would also not encompass the significant numbers of children on HSE waiting lists, many of whom are in school.
The model is now utilising data provided to the Department of Education by individual schools so as to ensure resources are in the right place at the right time to meet the needs of children with complex needs in mainstream schools.
Complex need is now measured in two ways. Firstly, students who are performing at the lower levels in standardised tests, which indicate the greatest level of need for additional teaching support and secondly, the pupils with more complex needs and who have been exempted are given the highest weight. Once again, it is very important to clarify that the inputs to the model do not prescribe which children should receive support through the additional teaching resources, schools must adhere to the guidance on the use of SET hours and support all children with additional teaching needs. This was the position in 2017 and remains the position now.
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.
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 unchanged.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.
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.
I would like to clarify that the SET allocation provides additional teaching learning support to a mainstream school to support the learning needs of their pupils in mainstream classes and has no impact on the matter of reduced schools that you raised.
My Departments view is that all students who are enrolled in a school should attend for the full day and it should only be in very exceptional circumstances that students do not attend for a full day. Reduced timetables should not be used as a behavioural management technique in the form of a sanction. It is acknowledged that reduced timetables may be helpful in exceptional circumstances as part of a transition or reintegration intervention, based on the needs of individual students.
The Department Of Education in conjunction with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Tusla Education Support Service have created guidelines for schools on the use of reduced timetables. These guidelines provide clarity to school authorities and parents/guardians around the use of reduced timetables in schools, to ensure that the use of reduced timetables are limited to only those circumstances where it is absolutely necessary and, that where such usage occurs, schools follow best practice with the interests of the student to the fore.
Tusla Educational Welfare Officers are available to provide parents/guardians with advice and support in relation to their child’s attendance at school.
During the review process, the department sought and listened to the views, concerns and issues raised by our education partners and schools around the existing model. The engagement with our key stakeholders, including staff representatives and management bodies, took place on a number of occasions in order to get feedback on the current model and to take on board the issues that needed to be considered for a revised model.
I would like to clarify that there has been no change made with regards to school placements and the continuum of provision where approximately 98% of all children, including those with special education needs, are educated in mainstream classes
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of Special Needs Organisers (SENOs for the identification, delivery and co-ordination of education services to children with disabilities. Locally based SENOs consult widely with parents/guardians, teachers, health care professionals, school authorities, HSE and other relevant government agencies.
It is a priority of the Minister that the NCSE is properly resourced to have a visible and effective presence in our schools and to guide and support our parents and children on their educational journey. In Budget 2023, the government provided an additional €13 million for the expansion of services within the NCSE. This will mean an increase of up to 161 additional staff in the organisation, a workforce increase of 50%. As a result of the additional funding allocated to the NCSE, it is intended to increase the number of SENOs to approximately 120, from the previously sanctioned 73. As the NCSE recruits additional SENOs, they are progressively altering the current team structure, from a regional to a county basis with an assigned number of SENOs for each county.
