School principals want review of new special education model

A grassroots campaign representing school principals has called for the planned roll-out of a new Department of Education model of support for students with special educational needs (SEN) to be immediately halted and reviewed.
School principals want review of new special education model
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A grassroots campaign representing school principals has called for the planned roll-out of a new Department of Education model of support for students with special educational needs (SEN) to be immediately halted and reviewed.

The proposed School Inclusion Model (SIM) sees principals “scapegoated”, and does not cater for additional students requiring support from Special Needs Assistants (SNA) for the next school year, and beyond. That’s according to the National Principals Forum, a lobby group set up in 2018 to represent primary school principals.

“For too long we have been expected to accept and implement a loaves and fishes style provision for our pupils with special educational needs and care needs, as cuts disguised in spin have been rolled out systematically," the group said in a statement.

"We cannot stretch insufficient allocations further without it detrimentally impacting on all of our pupils' education, safety and wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of teachers and SNAs trying to manage this impossible situation.”

The call from the group follows a recent circular issued by the Department of Education that the National Principals Forum claims confirms that the proposed model is in essence a “frontloading model” that has frozen schools’ current SNA allocation.

The forum strongly objects to the phased rollout of the proposed model, which it says has been foisted on schools without due process or consultation. The planned new model also demands an excessive labour intensive application process.

“We also object to the complex and excessive paperwork required in this process – including the duplication of paperwork already with the National Council of Special Education (NCSE) in many cases.

 “This process is utterly excessive at any time, but due to Covid-19 restrictions it is exponentially more difficult for principals and Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) to organise remotely. This new model signifies a worrying precedent which we completely reject.” 

The SIM model does not reflect the level of care needed in schools, and pays “mere lip service” to the Education Act 1998 and the EPSEN Act 2004, the group added.

“It places severe pressure on schools to make up the deficiencies in the support granted to us by the NCSE to cater for the needs of our pupils, and we face the fallout alone when we cannot stretch our insufficient SNA and SET allocations far enough.” The SIM also scapegoats principals, the National Principals Forum claims.

"Applications for additional SNA support for a school should not necessitate 'an exceptional review' nor should they be so arduous and infeasible. Principal teachers are not SENOs and object to the work of the SENOs being foisted upon us and our staff.

"Parents are told that the decision to grant SNA access lies with the school principal, which is disingenuous and abhorrent, as we cannot give what we do not have. As ardent advocates for our SEN pupils we demand a halt and review of this process immediately." The group is also calling for an exact SEN profile of schools be collected through a database, therefore stopping the use of 'guesstimates' to profile schools.

In a statement, the Department of Education said the planned new SNA allocation model has been deferred for one year.

"The frontloading model for schools is planned to be in place in September 2021."

Following the deferral, announced in April, Joe McHugh, the Minister for Education, said that no school will receive a lower allocation of SNA support for September 2020 than they currently have.

"There is also a provision for schools to apply, through an exceptional circumstance review, for an increased allocation to meet new or emerging needs."

Some of the benefits of the scheme include that parents will not be required to secure a diagnosis of disability in order to access support. SNA support will also be available immediately to students in mainstream school, the Department of Education spokesman added.

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