Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
516. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the costing for employing an additional 100 resource teachers; the current number employed; the projected number of additional resource teachers to be employed in 2023/2024 due to demographic pressures; the projected additional number needed in 2024/25; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37024/23]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:
Special education teachers provide additional teaching support for students with special educational needs enrolled in mainstream classes in primary and post-primary schools.
The special education teaching (SET) allocation model provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile.
The SET model has been in place since 2017. It was recommended by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and is designed to distribute the total available number of special education teachers across primary and post-primary schools based on the relative need of each school, as evidenced by a number of key indicators.
The SET model is a fairer and more transparent way of allocating teaching resources to schools and represents a significant shift in the way that students with special education needs are supported in mainstream classes.
Previously, students needing additional teaching support required a diagnosis in order to access support which caused delays in providing the support and also imposed a burden on both schools and parents. The change in policy was welcomed by both schools and parents as the model is based on the principle that those students with the greatest need receive the most support.
The model encourages schools to support students with special educational needs in mainstream classes alongside their peers. In fact most students with special educational needs are enrolled in these classes. This approach is also consistent with the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004.
When the SET model was introduced it was designed to be updated on a regular basis so as to distribute the total available resources across the school system based on profile of need. As the level of student need may change in a school over time, some schools will gain under this distribution, with these gains balanced by equivalent reductions in schools where the model indicates reduced need.
Re-profiling is the means of ensuring that new or increasing need in schools is met by transfer/redistribution of teaching resources from other schools whose need has reduced as shown by the model.
In general, schools are front-loaded with resources, based on each school’s profile. The allocations to schools include provision to support all pupils in the schools, including where a child receives a diagnosis after the allocation is received by a school, or where there are newly enrolling pupils to the school.
The model, including the data and indicators used to inform the distribution of special education teacher resources, is currently being reviewed in advance of the 2024/25 school year, to ensure that these valuable resources are allocated fairly and transparently across our primary and post-primary schools. Work is ongoing in relation to finalising the budgetary projections for the 2024/25 school year.
The NCSE who has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of special education teachers have confirmed that as of 17 July 2023, 14,395 SET posts have been allocated to mainstream schools.
The estimated full-year cost of a special education teacher is €72,270 per annum within a primary setting and €73,270 in a post-primary setting. This includes provision for related substitution costs and employer PRSI. Therefore, depending on the setting or mix of settings the estimated cost for an additional 100 special educational teaching posts will vary between just over €7.2 million and €7.3 million annually.
