Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 April 2026
75. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of an application for €100,000 in funding for three years for educational supports using the data from the PRIME project for a school (details supplied) in Limerick following a visit by the Minister for Special Education, if the funding will be allocated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28032/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government commits to the introduction of an Education Therapy Service (ETS). This service will begin in special schools and gradually extend to special classes and mainstream settings, ensuring that all children can access essential therapies in a timely and effective way. The ETS has been established as a critical and important support for children and young people in their school environment. The ETS will be delivered by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and is an additional support for children with special education needs. It is to supplement and not replace existing children’s health and disability services.
The initial phase of the ETS will commence in 45 special schools in this school year. It is important to highlight that this is the initial phase of the ETS rollout which will occur on a phased basis with a wider roll-out to further special schools within the 2026/2027 school year and a new initiative which will see all schools benefit in the coming years.
Where a school cannot access support through the ETS, the NCSE currently provides two additional strands of support to schools, Regional Therapy and Sustained In-School Therapy to both mainstream and special schools. Sustained in-school support (SIT) is provided to schools for a defined period of 18-24 months in line with the School Inclusion Model. 22 schools in the Eastern region are currently availing of this service and 28 schools in the Western region are receiving support under SIT since September 25. Regional therapy support provides Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) with follow on/implementation support by NCSE therapists. The focus of this support is to build the capacity of schools and to embed the learning from TPL into their teaching practice, through In-school coaching and co-facilitation of interventions, strategies and resources, with a focus on whole school (Tier 1) and targeted/school support levels
Given the current mandate from government the allocation of funding for the ETS will support the continued rollout of this service, including the recruitment of additional occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, along with the necessary resources and supports. In addition, as Le Cheile National School from September 2026, will be included in the DEIS Plus scheme the school will receive access to priority and enhanced access to the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), a Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing coordinator post and deputy principal release days. School leaders and teachers in these schools also receive priority access to professional learning through Oide, to support them to meet the needs of their pupils. Schools in the DEIS Plus scheme will also see an increase in funding through the DEIS Grant. Details of this increase will be provided to schools in the coming weeks.
Le Cheile National School is also part of the Health Alliances for Practice-Based Professional Education and Engagement (HAPPEE) project, which is a community partnership delivering in-school interventions in physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. It is a collaboration between UL, Limerick City and County Council, St Gabriel’s Foundation and six primary schools in Limerick which places UL students training to be physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists directly into classrooms. The UL students will work with school staff, whole classes, small groups and a small number of individual children and their families to provide therapeutic supports, which might otherwise be hard to access.
My department where possible aim to support innovation in our schools. The Dormant Accounts Fund is is one example of where my department is committed to supporting projects that tackle educational disadvantage through innovative projects, where they align with policy priorities. Under the 2026 Dormant Accounts Fund an application by the HAPPEE project was successful. This provides funding of €130,000 for the project for 2026. This funding has already been allocated by my department to the project. It should be noted that Dormant Accounts Funding is provided annually following an application process. Projects must apply annually for continued funding under the scheme.
The HAPPEE approach is currently being evaluated under a cross-government research project on integrated services and a UL PRIME Pupil Progress study to evaluate its potential and to inform future policy.
