Sir, – The phrase "Don't shoot the messenger" came to mind as I read the letter (Letters, March 31st) from some primary-school principals.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) supports an inclusive education system that enables children with special educational needs to achieve their potential. The terms and conditions under which the NCSE may allocate SNAs are set out in the Department of Education and Skills’ circular letter 0030/2014. This is the policy of the Minister for Education and Skills which is implemented by the NCSE.
The principals may wish for a different and wider edu-care role for SNAs and it is open to them to contact the Minister seeking policy change.
But it is disappointing that they chose instead to publicly blame the messenger. Would they be happy with such behaviour from students?
Had the principals read the NCSE’s 2013 policy advice paper to the Minister for Education and Skills “Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs”, they would have learned that the NCSE shares their concern about the use of categories of disability in the current model for allocating over 11,000 special education teachers to schools. The NCSE identified other flaws in the current system which we believe can be unfair and inequitable.
The NCSE recommended, and has since developed a proposal for, a better and more equitable model based on allocating teaching resources to schools in line with educational need in each school, rather than using categories of disability or school-size as determinants.
Co-incidentally, yesterday's Irish Times also carried an article outlining the many benefits of our proposed new model. This model will be piloted in the 2015/16 school year.
The NCSE also agrees that school principals should use their expertise, experience, commitment and knowledge of their students in the utilisation of teaching resources and the new model allows for this.
Finally, current NCSE schemes allow for allocations of support to students who change schools during a school year. – Yours, etc, JENNIFER DORAN National Council for Special Education, 1-2 Mill Street, Trim, Co Meath.