Thursday Newsletter 28/05/2020

Dear GETNS Community,

Please support this campaign for children with Special Educational Needs…

http://kidsbehindthecuts.org



You can sign the petition; tweet; email one of the many politicians, whose details are included.

Re. Changes in how the Department of Education (and the NCSE) allocate Special Education Teachers (SETs) and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools

In September 2017 the DES introduced a new ‘Inclusion Model’ for the allocation of SETs, based on the overall profile of the school, leading to a more general allocation, rather than based on specific individual cases and needs within the school in a given year. Since then they have reviewed the allocation of SNAs, and piloted a new system. This has led to further changes in how decisions are made about how many SNAs are to be allocated to schools, again based on school profile and a more general allocation given per school, rather than determined by psychological assessment reports, etc of individual needs. While on hold due to Covid, the new approach is scheduled to go ahead for September 2021.

Like all Educate Together schools, we are absolutely committed to inclusive education, and welcome all children, yet, like many schools across the country, with recent changes in the allocation of resources, we have received less, rather than more (valuable human) resources.

Very briefly, in our context, to date, we are relatively fortunate with our SNA allocation, however, under the new model this could change. Furthermore, in relation to SETs, we have not fared well under the new model. GETNS have not received any additional SETs while our pupil numbers have increased by 100. Under the old system we would have more SETs. I appealed this last year (2018/19), and requested a review of our SET allocation this year (2019/2020) by the NCSE, to no avail.

The above campaign started in Dalkey School Project earlier this school year, where they have lost SNAs with the introduction of the new model. The campaign has grown since with CEO of Educate Together (ET) meeting with a number of Educate Together principals at the ET conference in March.



Please support this campaign, which is calling on the NCSE and the DES to consult with schools and other advocacy groups. It is proposing a fair and transparent inclusion model – the right inclusion model. Inclusion has to be authentically supported!

Thank you!!

Reminder

School is closed on Friday 29th May 2020 and enjoy the Bank Holiday Monday!

Le meas

Róisín



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