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Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters Attendance by Department of Education officials on Thursday 27th April at 9.30am Cathaoirleach, At the outset I wish to thank you and the Committee for the invitation to be here today representing the Department of Education.

My name is Martina Mannion and I am an Assistant Secretary General in the Department with responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion.
I am accompanied today by three of my colleagues who work as Principal Officers in the Special Education Section of the Department across a range of policy and operational issues - Mr. Brendan Doody, Mr. Frank Hanlon and Mr. Martin McLoughlin.

Policy on special education and current provision The Department of Education’s policy in respect of supporting children and young people with special educational needs is very clear.
Based on a child- centred approach to the provision of education, our role is to ensure that all children with special educational needs are supported to access an education appropriate to their needs.

This means that children with special educational needs should be supported to the greatest degree possible in mainstream settings with additional teaching and care supports to allow them to achieve their potential.
In circumstances where children with special educational need require more specialised interventions, we ensure access to special school or special class places.

As a Department we 1 recognise that these more specialist supports and settings have an important role to play and in line with parental wishes, we have opened hundreds of additional special classes both at primary and post primary level in recent years as well as seven new special schools.
It is worth noting that while much of the public focus has been on the additional special school and special class places, the vast majority of children with special educational needs are educated in mainstream settings in the Irish education system.

It is estimated that almost 98% of all children with special educational needs attend mainstream settings.

The benefits of mainstream education are known and recognised.
As a Department we are working hard to ensure that inclusion is at heart of what we do, and where full participation in an inclusive education setting is available to every student, which meets their individual need.

Our schools are where we nurture and develop the future of our society and we know that schools are a welcoming and supportive environment for children, especially children with special educational needs.
The Department expends considerable resources annually to enable schools to support the inclusion of all students.

In the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of children and young people with special educational needs; particularly in the area of autism.

What is happening in Ireland is not unique and there is recognition internationally of growth in the area of special educational need.
As a Department we are very aware of this need and are proactive in working with all stakeholders, including parents and advocacy groups to ensure that we are meeting that need in a compassionate and inclusive way in schools across the country.

We have responded to that need by providing significant additional supports in mainstream classes and, as I have outlined earlier, by the provision of additional 2 special school and special class places.
We are also working on a number of policy and resource initiatives which, as they are rolled out, will further enhance the educational experience of children with special educational needs.

Investment in special education This year, the Department of Education will spend in excess of €2.6 billion, or over 27% of the Department’s budget supporting children with special educational needs.

This is the highest ever provision of funding by the State for special education.
By the end of this year there will be over 40,000 special education teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) working in our schools who are specifically dedicated to supporting students with special educational needs.

The Future The discussion points outlined in the invitation to today’s meeting reference both the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
In that regard, I think it is worth highlighting for the Committee a number of recent developments, the outcomes of which are likely to influence the way in which our education system develops into the future.

Review of EPSEN As the Committee will be aware, the Department of Education is undertaking a review of the EPSEN Act.

I want to thank the Committee for the submission that you have made as part of the public consultation process on the review.
The Department has consulted far and wide as part of this review.

An online survey element of the public consultation process has recently closed and we have received 28,000 responses from parents, students, schools and other 3 interested stakeholders.

This is a fantastic response and shows the huge public interest there is in the area.

The Department is now working to analyse these responses so that we can commence the next stage of the legislative review process.
The current EPSEN legislation is now in place for almost 20 years and there has been many significant changes and developments to policy relating to the education of children with special educational needs in that time.

One of the most important of these changes relates to how children access educational supports in schools.

When the legislation was first introduced, assessments were needed to ensure access to educational supports for all children with special educational needs.
That is no longer the case.

Since 2017 educational supports for children in mainstream settings are provided through special educational teachers and special need assistants that are already assigned to schools, with the option for additional supports as required.

This has moved us away from a ‘diagnosis led’ model of support to a ‘needs led’ model which is in line with the UNCRPD and is a child centred model of provision.
As so much has changed since the introduction of EPSEN both in terms of policy and provision, we believe this review of the legislation to ensure that it is up-to-date, fully operational and reflective of the lived experiences of students and families is a very important and timely decision which will assist us in providing advice to Ministers and Government on the future direction for legislation in this sensitive area of education.
When the review is complete, we will have a clearer idea of the wider public and stakeholder view.

Like any consultation process, the outcomes can vary from maintaining the status quo, amending/commencing existing legislation or developing new legislation.

Any legislative changes proposed will require careful consideration, detailed analysis, pre-legislative scrutiny and 4 consideration of the wider Governmental legislative programme.
Regardless of the outcome, the Department is committed to ensuring that the needs of children with special educational needs are fully supported in our education system.

National Council for Special Education (NCSE) policy advice In relation to the further development of an inclusive education system, in January of this year, the Department received policy advice from the NCSE on future provision in respect of special classes and special schools.
The policy advice will need to be considered fully so that, long-term, we are continuing to build a more inclusive education system while also ensuring that the needs of our most complex students in special schools and classes are being fully met.

The policy advice is currently being considered by both Ministers in the Department and once we have the outcome of that consideration then there will be further engagement with all stakeholders, including public representatives on this matter.
Additional measures to support students In keeping with the desire to take a child-centred approach to the provision of education, the Department of Education and the NCSE has recently been involved in the provision of a number of additional initiatives for students with special educational needs.
These include: • The expansion of the summer programme; • The funding of projects to support the transition of students with special educational needs after they finish school; 5 • Additional funding for Assistive Technology; • Provision of dedicated supports for children using Irish Sign Language as their primary means of communication; • Introduction of a new nursing support pilot programme; • The development and piloting of the School Inclusion Model; • Additional funding for the recruitment of 160 new staff by the NCSE, to include more Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO’s) and Advisors and • Additional funding for the recruitment of 54 additional educational psychologists by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPs).
All of these measures aim to support the needs of children with special educational needs and ensure that they can access education in the most inclusive way possible.

Conclusion We have worked hard to ensure we have providing a supporting inclusive education system for all children, particularly children with special educational needs.
While huge progress has been made we are always aware of the challenges faced by individual children and their families and we are continuing to work with the NCSE and all of the education stakeholders to address any issues as they come to light.

I thank the committee for giving me the opportunity to outline our work to date in this important area and my colleagues and I look forward to engaging with Committee members during today’s meeting and addressing any questions that you might have.
Thank you Chair.

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