Department of Education
There are a number of supports and accommodations from the Department of Education that may be available. Please see below.
The SENO Support Service
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was set up to improve the delivery of education services to persons with special educational needs arising from disabilities with particular emphasis on children. Their local service is delivered through a national network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) who interact with parents and schools and liaise with the HSE in providing resources to support children with special educational needs.
- SENOs plan, co-ordinate and review the provision of additional education supports to schools that enrol students with special educational needs in line with Department of Education policy.
- SENOs support parents and guardians by providing information, establishing special classes and engaging with other professionals working with your child.
- SENOs advise and support parents around the availability of special classes, special schools and other educational supports.
- SENOs process Transport and Assistive Technology applications and forward to the Department of Education for sanction.
- SENOs provide parents with advice and useful tips on transition from preschool to school from primary school to post primary school and onto adult services.
For further information, and to view the contact details of your local SENO, please see – https://ncse.ie/special-educational-needs-organiser-seno
Special Needs Assistants (SNAs)
SNAs are school-based additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills. SNAs are provided to schools by the NCSE on the basis of the overall profile of need. Schools recruit SNAs and are responsible for the deployment of SNA support to individual students.
For further information regarding SNAs, please see the NCSE website at https://ncse.ie/special-needs-assistants
Assistive Technology Grant
The NCSE processes applications for Assistive Technology for students with special educational needs. Applications for Assistive Technology are made through the student’s school management. A recent assessment from a relevant professional detailing the nature and extent of the student’s disability and the equipment most appropriate to their needs must accompany the application. The school then sends the application to the local SENO.
For further information, see – https://ncse.ie/assistive-technology
School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs
The school transport scheme supports the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs that come from a diagnosed disability.
Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO).
Application forms should be completed and signed by the parent, school principal and the SENO.
For further information, see – https://www.gov.ie/en/service/07a71-school-transport/#children-with-special-educational-needs
Summer Provision
The Summer Programme provides educational supports during the summer to children with special needs and those at most risk of educational disadvantage.
For details of the Summer Programme, please see – https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/5d15a-summer-programme/
Home Tuition for Children with Special Educational Needs and Medical Grounds
The purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for:
- children who are unable to attend school for reasons such as chronic illness
- children with special educational needs who are seeking an educational placement
- early educational intervention for children with autism
For further information, see – https://www.gov.ie/en/service/d15f58-home-tuition/?referrer=http://www.education.ie/en/Parents/Services/Home-Tuition/
National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS)
NEPS psychologists work with both primary and post-primary schools and are concerned with learning, behaviour, social and emotional development. Each psychologist is assigned to a group of schools.
NEPS psychologists work in partnership with teachers, parents and children in identifying educational needs. They offer a range of services aimed at meeting these needs, for example, supporting individual students (through consultation and assessment), special projects and research. For further information, see – https://www.gov.ie/en/service/5ef45c-neps/
You can also view the NEPS Information for Parents leaflet at – https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/41219/9407bf80d6f54e4c85732884fb535490.pdf#page=null.
Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA)
The Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA) is provided by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) to help in the delivery of a psychological service to all schools. The Scheme provides funding to schools to commission individual psychological assessments of students from psychologists who work in a private capacity. The scheme is not a substitute for a full educational psychological service of the sort provided by NEPS/DE. It is an interim measure intended to supplement the NEPS service and meet current urgent needs for psychological assessment of children and young people. The operation of the scheme is reviewed on an ongoing basis by NEPS/DE.
You can view the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments Guidelines for Schools at – https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/41786/87a6ee0c93b046d09dae859e0a433be5.pdf#page=null
Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations at Certificate Examinations (RACE)
Secondary school students with special needs may have special arrangements made for them while sitting State examinations such as the Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate. Candidates with disabilities can apply through their school for the Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations at Certificate Examinations (RACE).
Reasonable accommodations are designed to remove, as far as possible, the impact of a disability on a candidate’s performance and enable the candidate to access the state examinations on an equal basis with other students.
For further information, see – https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/state_examinations/examination_arrangements_for_students_with_disabilities.html
Additional information can also be found on the State Examinations Commission Website at https://www.examinations.ie/?l=en&mc=ca&sc=ra
You can contact the State Examinations Commission on – Email: race@examinations.ie or Phone: 090-6442782
