New School Inclusion Model To Improve Educational Supports

A new School Inclusion Model of support for students with special educational and additional care needs is to be trailed across 75 schools in Kildare, Wicklow and South Dublin.

The School Inclusion Model, supported by €4.75m funding allocated in Budget 2019, aims to build schools’ capacity to include children with additional needs and to provide other supports for pupils.

The achievement of better education and life outcomes for all children including those with special needs is a key element of Government policy with €1.75 billion - 19% of the total education budget - funding a range of supports including additional special needs teachers and SNAs. 

Seventy-five schools, both primary and post-primary, in Kildare, Wicklow and South Dublin will be invited to participate in this new research-based package of education and health supports to be piloted and evaluated in the 2019/20 school year. 

Key features of the School Inclusion Model are:

• A new frontloading allocation model for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs). A profiling system for Special Education Teaching will be used to allocate resources, breaking the link with the need for an assessment. An appeals mechanism will be included to deal with exceptional cases in schools.

• National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) will be expanded to provide more intensive support. Additional psychologists will be recruited for the pilot, giving greater access to the full range of in-school supports for students with complex educational needs.

• SNAs will be offered a new National Training Programme. It will be designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge to support students with additional care needs arising from significant medical, physical, emotional/behavioural, sensory, communication and other significant difficulties that pose a barrier to participating in school life. The training will emphasise the need for students to develop independence and resilience.

• A new national nursing service for children with complex medical needs in schools. A cross agency planning group is to be established to develop the scope for the scheme, develop an application procedure for schools and plan for how the service is to be delivered. The new service will complement current provision provided through community based services.

• A Regional Support Team will be set up for schools in the pilot, under the auspices of the NCSE. The team will include 4 Speech and Language Therapists, 2 Occupational Therapists and 4 Behaviour Support practitioners. A further 19 Speech and Language Therapists and 12 Occupational Therapists will deliver supports within schools.

• Consultation with schools, teachers and parents. 

Announcing the new trail, the Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh, said: "Inclusion and access are a core value of our education system. We want every child to have the opportunity to learn and develop as well as they can and to get the supports they need to do that. The trial of this innovative School Inclusion Model will test and evaluate broader and more holistic education and health supports for children with special and additional care needs.

"Quality outcomes and meaningful inclusion for children with additional needs are achieved by having quality school staff including teachers and special needs assistants, effective leadership, parental involvement and well developed policy and practice in schools.

"I am pleased that the model does not require a formal diagnosis for access to SNA support. This is an important step towards a needs-based model, similar to what we have in the allocation of special education teachers."

Minister of State for Disability Issues Finian McGrath T.D. added: "I am very happy to support this new initiative to deliver additional supports to help children achieve their best.

"This new model will complement community provision for children with additional needs and allow health care professionals to work with schools and teachers in a setting familiar to children."