Speech by the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, at the Seanad private members’ debate on special needs

24 February, 2010

I move the counter motion.

The achievements of the Government in the area of special education over the past 10 years have demonstrated a real desire to deliver an appropriate education for children with special educational needs.

In sharp contrast to the efforts of previous administrations, this Government has delivered for children with special educational needs. 

We recognised many years ago that education for children with special educational needs can only be delivered through consistent, ongoing, multi-annual investment in teachers, special needs assistants (SNAs), assistive technology, specialist equipment, adapted school buildings and special school transport arrangements.  

We recognised that the professionals who teach children with special educational needs may need guidance and support, training and professional guidance.

However, we have done more than simply recognise these challenges. 

In the past 10 years, we as a Government have prioritised investment and delivered a full range of supports for schools and students.

We now spend over €1 billion in this area of education alone - one ninth of my entire budget.

There are over 8,600 resource and learning support teachers and over 10,000 SNAs in our schools. 

Together with the teachers in special schools and special classes, there are now over 20,000 adults are now supporting children with special educational needs.

As well as teachers and SNAs, we have provided and will continue to provide assistive technology, specialist equipment, adapted school buildings and special school transport arrangements.

Resources must be targeted at those children who need them. 

Resources left in areas within the school system that are not in accordance with my Department’s criteria mean that these resources are not available for another deserving area.

SNAs
Senators made reference to the withdrawal of SNA support in schools throughout the country.

Let me be crystal clear on this point because I want to emphasise what is really important here.

The SNA scheme has been a major factor in both ensuring the successful integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream education and in providing support to pupils enrolled in special schools and special classes.

The SNA scheme will continue to be supported.

The terms and criteria for the SNA scheme have not changed. 

Schools which have enrolled children who qualify for support from an SNA will continue to be allocated SNA support.

This is happening at the moment.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has been processing applications from schools for SNA support all year.

This will continue.

Where the criteria are met, SNA posts are being allocated.

There is no question of posts being removed from schools where they meet the scheme’s criteria. 

However, there is also no question of posts being left in schools indefinitely where they are deemed to be surplus to the care needs of the pupils or where the pupils themselves have left.

I am confident that the criteria governing the allocation of teaching and care supports enable schools to provide for children with special educational needs in both mainstream and special school settings. 

Senators will be aware that my Department requested the NSCE to review all SNA posts in schools. 

It had become clear that a number of SNA posts were in schools where the care needs of the pupils in the schools concerned did not justify such an allocation.

My concern is to ensure that there is a consistent application of policy in relation to the allocation of special needs supports across the country.

This is all that is happening at the moment.

As Senators are aware, the purpose of an SNA is to support the care needs of children with disabilities.

It is not to create dependency.

Therefore, a child with a disability coming into junior infants at age four or five can be different from one in fourth or fifth class aged 10 or 11 and very different from an 18-year-old leaving school. 

Many children with disabilities do develop independent living skills as they grow and mature. 

I fully recognise that some children with disabilities will always need support in school. 

However, are Senators really asking the NCSE to leave SNA posts in schools where the children for whom the posts were allocated have left? 

Or are they asking the NCSE to leave SNA posts in schools where the children’s care needs have diminished? 

All that is being done at the moment is to remove posts where the children have left or their care needs have diminished. 

Let me repeat: the scheme has not changed. 

The criteria for support have not changed. 

In line with previous years, the NCSE is continuing to allocate SNA posts this year to schools which have enrolled pupils who meet the criteria.

Government commitment to special education

Special education is a priority for this Government. 

Despite the ongoing economic difficulties, and in spite of competing demands for funding, the Renewed Programme for Government announced last October commits to further investment in the development of services for pupils with special educational needs.

This is a significant achievement at a time of reduced public spending.

NEPS
The Renewed PfG commits to the expansion in the number of psychologists employed directly by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) to 210. 

This will ultimately allow for the assignment of a NEPS psychologist to every primary and post-primary school in the country with particular emphasis on special needs units, classes and special schools.

There are 157 psychologists employed in the service - an increase from 127 psychologists at the start of the current Government. 

In the meantime, this Government continues to ensure that all primary and post-primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the assigned NEPS psychologist or through the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments administered by NEPS and which supports the cost of assessments provided by a panel of private practitioners.

Teacher training and professional development

In addition, the level of training available to teachers has improved significantly.

We will continue to build on that.

The establishment of the special education support service to provide expert support, professional development and training opportunities in special education for school staff has been very significant. 

Some senators said not enough teachers are being trained.

Last year, 23,602 teachers availed of training places –nearly half the teachers in the country.

This training is designed to ensure a quality teaching service in our schools - one that promotes inclusiveness, collaboration and equality of access for students with special educational needs to educational opportunities.

In addition, over 300 teachers availed of places on post-graduate teacher training programmes related to special educational needs.

NCSE
My Department is enhancing the capacity of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to co-ordinate the provision of services to children with special educational needs.

In the past year, the NCSE appointed 12 senior special educational needs organisers (SENOs) to co-ordinate the work of the locally based SENOs. 

Sanction has also been given to recruit further SENOs to improve the service the NCSE provides to schools and parents.

EPSEN
The Renewed PfG outlines the Government’s committed to the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act.

A significant number of sections of the EPSEN have been commenced - principally those establishing the NCSE and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children with special educational needs.

The Government is committed to the full implementation of EPSEN at the earliest possible date. 

In the interim, we are committed to developing a costed multi-annual plan to implement some priority aspects of the EPSEN Act focussing on measurable, practical progress in education and health services for children with special needs.

This process will require consultation with the education partners as well as the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health and Children.

Office of the Minister for Disability and Mental Health
This Government is fully aware of the need to co-ordinate disability services for children across both departmental and agency lines. 

For the first time, this Government has established an office, headed by a Minister of State, which has specific responsibility for disability and mental health. 

An integrated approach has been adopted by the education and health sectors under the auspices of a cross-sectoral team to target additional resources to areas of greatest need.

This co-ordinated approach will ensure delivery of the most effective response for children living with disability and special educational needs on a daily basis.

The HSE will continue to work with funded specialist providers and in co-operation with the education sector to address the health related needs of children with special educational needs in the context of the resources available.

Progress is being kept under review by the Office of the Minister for Disability and the cross-sectoral team.

Special classes
I note that Senators have referred to my decision to suppress a number of special classes for pupils with mild general learning disability (MGLD) last year. 

Senators are aware that, as with all teaching posts, allocations are made in line with pupil numbers. 

The decision to close a number of special classes was taken on the basis that the enrolment numbers were insufficient to retain the special class teacher.

However, I want to remind the Seanad that my Department did consider and review all appeals of this decision by schools. 

The fact that only 49 of the 119 schools lodged an appeal is telling in itself.

Some schools advised that some of the pupils enrolled in these special classes did not have MGLD but had other disabilities. 

Three classes were retained and re-designated for the new category of disability. 

Eleven were retained on appeal. 

In other situations, my Department advised the schools to contact the NCSE to apply for additional resource teaching hours where appropriate. 

Senators are aware that the remaining pupils have access to the additional learning support/resource teaching service already in place in all primary schools and which is provided through the general allocation model of resource teaching support. 

However, again, let me say that, at a time of constrained resources, we must ensure that public resources are deployed as effectively as possible.

Resources left in areas within the school system that are not in accordance with my Department’s criteria mean that these resources are not available for another deserving area.

Failure to publish advice from the NCSE
Senators made reference to my apparent failure to publish advice from the NCSE on special needs provision.

I am assuming that the Senators are referring to recent research relating to the role of special schools and special classes which was funded by the NCSE. 

The NCSE has not, as yet, sent me a copy of this research. 

I understand that the NCSE expects to be in a position to send me a copy of the research in the near future. 

I am pleased to advise the Seanad that the NCSE fully intends to publish this research on its website and it is working with publishers in relation to this matter. 

The Seanad may wish to know that, while the NCSE has provided funding, responsibility for the contents of the research - including any errors or omissions - remains with the authors. 

The NCSE has clearly stated that the views and opinions contained in such reports are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the NCSE. 

The Seanad will therefore appreciate that I am not in a position to publish research I do not have but I am pleased that that the NCSE will shortly publish this research on its website.

This piece of research will be one of many strands of evidence the NCSE will consider when formulating its advice to me on the future roles for special schools and special classes. 

I expect that, once received, advice from the NCSE will assist my Department with policy formulation in this area.

I want to put on record my support for special schools and special classes and my belief that they will continue to have a significant role in the education of pupils with special educational needs.

I am anxious to examine ways in which special schools can act in a co-operative way with mainstream primary and post primary schools to provide enhanced service to pupils with special educational needs and their parents.

500 posts
The Renewed PfG commits the Government to no further increase in pupil teacher ratio in primary and second-level schools over the lifetime of the Government and it provides for 500 teaching posts to schools over the next three years over and above additional posts that will arise due to demographic increases.

I am pleased to advise the Senate that 100 of these posts at post-primary level are being used to improve the learning support service in post-primary schools.

Inclusion
This Government’s investment in special needs provision speaks for itself and it has transformed the ability of schools to provide for all children. 

This investment will continue to be made.  

This Government is committed to ensuring that as many children as possible can receive an appropriate education in their own communities alongside their peers. 

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability places a strong obligation on governments to provide inclusive education for all learners. 

It requires states to ensure that ‘persons with disabilities are not excluded from the general education system on the basis of disability’ and that ‘persons with disabilities can access an inclusive, quality, free primary education and secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live’.

This Government has ensured that extra supports for children with special educational needs are in place in schools all over the country. 

Our policies and levels of investment have delivered additional teachers, additional special needs assistants, specialist equipment, assistive technology for children with special needs along with specially adapted schools.

Children with special educational needs will continue to receive an education appropriate to their needs.

The NCSE will continue to allocate teaching and special needs assistant resources to enable schools support pupils with special educational needs.

I am proud of these achievements. 

In just over 10 years, the Government has driven a complete transformation in educational policy for children with special educational needs. 

Ten years ago, most parents of children with significant special education or care needs had no choice but to send them to a special school.

Now, they have three distinct choices available to them.

Their child can either attend a mainstream class in their local school with extra supports as required; they can attend a special class in a mainstream school; or they can attend a special school.

Of course, the needs of students can change as they get older and mature.

The system now in place provides both a continuum of education and options to enable students to move from one setting to another in line with their changing needs.

I am proud of this Government’s achievements in providing for the education of children with special educational needs. 

We will continue to prioritise investment and ensure that extra teaching and care supports are provided to schools to enable them to welcome, include and provide education for pupils with special educational needs.

We will continue to expand the educational psychological service so that every school in the country has a direct service from NEPS.

We will continue to work with the NCSE to ensure that the provision of services for children with special educational needs is provided in a co-ordinated and effective manner.

We will continue to fund the provision of expert support, professional development and training opportunities in education for all school staff.

Before I finish I want to put a question to Senator Healy-Eames.

Senator, do you really believe that where a child is developing independence and confidence that they should continue to receive support they don’t need - support that could actually inhibit their further development?

As a parent myself, I completely understand the concerns of parents of children with special needs.  

Everyone wants what is best for their child.  

This is understandably an emotive issue. 

That is why I find it difficult to understand why Senator Eames and the rest of the Fine Gael senators supporting this motion would use parents and their children as a political football.  

Senator, you should know better than to go out of your way to raise the fear and anxiety of parents just to score points against the Government.     

Are you following your leader’s example and ‘being yourself’?

Let me finish by stating a fact - something the Senator’s statements are all too often lacking.

Any child who needs an SNA will get an SNA.   

This Government has and will continue to deliver for pupils with special educational needs and I commend the counter-motion to the House.