Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 April 2024
312. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will urgently revise the SET allocation for a school (details supplied), in light of its extenuating circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19063/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers.
For 2024, €2.7 billion is being spent on special education, an increase of €113 million, and this is dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs. This will allow for, amongst other things, the opening of up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools and 300 additional special school places.
Special Education Teaching (SET) hours is one component of support for children in mainstream classes, the most important support is the mainstream class teacher. The student/teacher ratio at primary level is now 23:1 which means there are more mainstream teachers than ever before in our educational system.
In 2024, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 744 teachers and 1,216 SNAs added to deliver up to 2,700 new places for children with special educational needs. This will mean we will have over 41,500 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting these children.
The SET allocation model for 2024/25 is based on information from all 4,000 schools in the country. The model distributes the total available number of SET posts in line with each school’s profile of need.
The model seeks to distribute teaching resources in the fairest possible manner, taking into account as much evidence as possible in respect of individual schools and evidence in respect of the best possible use of resources. Schools must adhere to the guidance on the use of SET hours and support all children with additional teaching needs using the continuum of support framework.
The revised model is providing an annual allocation of SET hours, using the best possible available data sources and is ensuring that the right resource is available at the right time to meet the needs of children with special educational needs.
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 SET hours and schools who have any concerns can engage with the NCSE on their allocation.
Reviews are being conducted by the NCSE, between March and May, to better enable schools to plan for the following September. An internal NCSE review panel will consider the application ensuring that the school have clearly evidenced that the overall level of SET allocation in this school does not have capacity to meet this additional identified need.
Additional resources will be provided to schools in cases where the NCSE have identified that this is required.
In relation to the school referred to by the Deputy, the reduction in SET hours is directly related to reduced enrolment numbers, there has been a 10% reduction since the school's profile was last updated. However, 7.5 SET hours have been allocated to the school to support Ukrainian enrolments. These students are resourced through the supports for children from Ukraine and International Protection process separate to the SET allocation model.
The department has adapted to the dynamic landscape of student enrolment. This has been particularly effective in the context of the pace and volume of newly arrived students fleeing the war in Ukraine and the ongoing increase in students, who require English as an Additional Language (EAL) supports to fully access the curriculum.
The department has prioritised enhancing EAL support, recognising the critical role of language proficiency in successful integration and academic achievement.
These supports to schools, which are based on a application process, are provided for new-entrant students (i.e., students who arrived in the country in the last 2 years with an EAL requirement). Similar to previous years, supports may also be provided for schools with a high concentration of students that are not classified as new-entrant students but who have an EAL need i.e., students with less than 3 years EAL support and are registered as having less than a B1 level of English proficiency in a proficiency test.
The department’s Inspectorate report ‘Meeting Additional Language Needs: Whole-school and Classroom Approaches for Inclusive Language Learning’ outlines the best practice approaches in the teaching and learning of EAL involving mainstream teachers. The report underscores the importance of English language provision for educational equity and wellbeing and applauds schools for promoting diversity and belonging. The department will use its recommendations to enhance learning experiences across all schools.
All schools are advised in the first instance to review whether the needs of newly enrolled students can be met from within existing allocations. Language supports are also included through SET which encompasses an element of language support allocation. Under this SET model, schools are frontloaded with resources to provide support immediately to those students who need it without delay.
The department's policies enable flexible resource allocation to ensure that the resources follow children in the event of them changing schools. Schools may also apply for further language support by an application process during the school year, should their circumstances change.
In relation to the school referred to by the deputy, The school submitted an application for EAL support for the 2024/25 school year and have been provisionally allocated 15 part-time language support hours for eligible new entrant students.
Schools who are unhappy with their EAL allocation following consideration of their application can appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board.
Schools can contact their local NCSE Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) where they believe that they do not have sufficient resources to meet the needs of students with special educational needs.
My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
