I propose to take Questions Nos. 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 160 and 161 together.
Enabling students with special educational needs to receive an education that meets their needs is a priority for this Government.?It is also a key priority for me, my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).? The vast majority of students with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where students with more complex needs require additional supports, special class and special school places are provided. This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which promotes that students will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for students with special educational needs. Parents and schools can contact the NCSE directly using the details available on the NCSE's website. Local special educational needs organisers (SENOs) are available to offer advice, support and guidance as required to ensure students with special educational needs are supported to achieve their full potential.
The position of my department continues to be that all pupils who are enrolled in a school should attend school for the full day. Where this is not possible for exceptional circumstances this is known as a reduced school day.
A commitment was made under the Programme for Government to ensure robust data collection on the use of reduced school days and to further ensure that they are only used in a manner that is limited, appropriate and absolutely necessary. In September 2021, my department issued Reduced School Day Guidelines to all schools on the procedures to be followed when reduced school days are put in place for students. These guidelines came into effect on 1 January 2022. These guidelines clearly state that reduced school days should not be used as a sanction, offered as an alternative to a sanction, or used as a behavioural management tool.
Reduced School Days or RSD is a transitionary arrangement which should only ever be considered in very limited and time-bound circumstances such as, for example, supporting a student to return to school after a period of absence, or due to a medical or mental health-related condition, or due to other exceptional circumstance and only with the consent of the parent or the guardians. It is designed to assist the student to attend for some part of the school day along with his/her peers, where it is not possible at a point in time for them to attend in a full-time capacity.
Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my Department since 2021. TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is responsible for gathering the data from schools in relation to the use of reduced school days and delivers a local school servicethrough the national network of Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs). These officers provide support and guidance to both parents and schools in relation to the use of a reduced school day. TESS and the NCSE have worked with my department to enable the streamlining of the notification process with introduction of a data sharing agreement for RSD Notifications. This enables TESS to advise the NCSE directly where a child with special educational needs begins a Reduced School Day. The Special educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) in the NCSE then automatically engage with the school where there is a reduced school day to examine how the school can be best supported to allow the child to return to full attendance. This may include the provision of NCSE Advisor support, additional training, teacher or SNA allocation reviews or engagement with other services. Inspectors and NEPS psychologists routinely raise the use of the Reduced School Day during their meetings or inspections in schools.
My Department continues to work closely with TESS and the NCSE to ensure the effective operation of the RSD scheme and that all students are supported to the greatest extent possible to attend for the full school day. The use of Reduced School Days continues to be monitored and all services involved continue to work collaboratively and proactively to enable the best outcome for each individual child. Schools are encouraged to seek advice from their local TUSLA Educational Welfare Officer, National Educational Psychological Services psychologist and the NCSE’s Special Educational Needs Organisers so that the right support for each child can be provided. In addition, if any parent feels that reduced school days are being used inappropriately or without their consent they can contact their local EWO, SENO or the Department and this will be investigated.
Other monitoring and oversight arrangements include:
• Consideration of individual case management by relevant bodies in a collaborative way, particularly Tusla and the NCSE and with NEPs input where required.
• The use of RSDs for all students including those with special educational needs continues to be monitored by the Department of Education.
• The provision of information sessions and training aids to schools and parents to assist them to understand the RSD guidelines and share experiences on the effective use of Reduced School Day as a tool to bring children back to full time education.
My department’s Home Tuition Grant Schemes provides funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for several reasons, are unable to attend school. By its nature, it is intended to be a short-term intervention. In exceptional cases the Department will consider home tuition applications on behalf of students where a continued absence from school is required to facilitate appropriate medical or therapeutic intervention with a view to the reintegration of the student in their school.
The latest available RSD statistics, which are published on gov.ie, show that during the 2023/24 school year TESS received a total of 1,275 first notifications that students from both Primary and Post Primary schools were on a reduced school day. My department is committed to publishing data in respect of reduced school days on an annual basis with the data in respect of the 2024/25 school year due to be published shortly.
The latest available statistics are published at the following link: https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/reduced-school-days-report-202324-school-year.pdf.
