Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2024
94. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education whether she is aware that a school (details supplied) has been sanctioned three ASD classes by the NCSE but cannot deliver them as her Department has refused funding for an extension to the school. [16369/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy that my department received an application under the Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) Scheme in 2021 from the school in question. The application was for funding for the provision of three special education needs classrooms on foot of the sanction of three ASD special classes by the NCSE in February 2021. Funding was approved for prefab replacement in 2022 for an 80m2 prefab.
The purpose of my department’s Additional Schools' Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area. At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes. The capacity at other schools in the area is also considered as part of the assessment of any accommodation needs.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive (HSE). This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in various geographical areas where there is an identified need. When the NCSE sanction a special class in a school (primary or post-primary), school authorities can apply to my Department for capital funding to re-configure an existing spaces within the school building to accommodate the class and/or to construct additional accommodation under my Department’s Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA). Similarly where special schools are requested to expand provision or wish to refurbish existing facilities, they may also apply to my Department for capital funding to carry out these works.
As the Deputy may be aware the department’s Technical team carried out an in-depth review of the school site in 2021. The review confirmed that the school and the site are at maximum capacity and that it would not be possible to provide the required accommodation on site unless vast amounts of existing single storey accommodation was to be demolished and replaced with two storey accommodation. At that time, considering all the relevant impediments to deliver the brief of accommodation and the site constraints, the Department was not in a position to provide funding for the significant demolition of the school building. In light of this, officials in my department contacted the NCSE to advise them of same and to establish the special classes in other schools in the area.
I can advise the Deputy that in January of this year, the NCSE reconfirmed the sanction of 3 special education needs classes at the school in question. The Board of Management subsequently submitted an engineer’s condition report to the department in support of their proposal to knock and rebuild a portion of the school building. In view of the reconfirmed sanction by the NCSE, the cost of the prefab for special education tuition and the engineer's condition report my department's Technical Team will review the contents of the report and officials from my department will consult with the school authority on completion of the review.
Over the last two years, the department and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special education placements ahead of each new school year. The Department continues to work with the NCSE in relation to the short-term requirements for special class and special school places and also the more strategic and longer-term requirements.
In planning and providing for additional school accommodation, the Department must also have regard to construction inflation pressures and competing demands on suppliers of modular accommodation and project management services. In response to these challenges both in terms of demand for accommodation and costs, the Department must prioritise spending and seek to achieve value for money in line with the public spending code/NDP framework. In general, demographics have been falling at primary level and are due to continue to decrease. Therefore the Department considers it prudent to maximise the use of existing spare accommodation capacity at primary level in the first instance, before considering any applications for further accommodation needs. This is in line with public spending requirements. In relation to the provision of primary special classes, the shared preference of both the Department and the NCSE is to use and reconfigure existing school accommodation to provide special classes. Given the number of primary special classes available already and the falling demographics, it is also likely that most of the new additional special classes may be required in larger population centres in a local school planning area.
The main focus of my department’s resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics. The department is required to manage the overall school building programme so that we target and prioritise areas that are under greatest pressure for additional school places. This reflects our fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.
