The National Principals’ Forum (NPF) has unveiled findings from its latest survey.
An analysis of Special Education Teacher (SET) allocations for the 2024-25 academic year reveals stark inadequacies in provision. The NPF calls for urgent reform to support children with special educational needs (SEN).
An overwhelming 76.4% of principals report that their SET allocations do not meet the needs of their schools. 81.6% of respondents question the accuracy of student data. The Department of Education has revealed that children with complex additional needs have been discounted by the algorithm. 37% of schools report a decrease in their SET, despite evidence that classrooms have a much higher number of children with additional needs than ever before.
Principals have coined the term the “Cluster Games,” to describe the arduous process of searching their locality to cluster 25 teaching hours to safeguard jobs in their schools.
The survey also exposed the frustration and challenges faced by school leaders:
- Principal in Westmeath: “My region in the midlands has been without a NEPS psychologist since December 2020. Our allocation is insufficient given our school’s needs, and I feel so frustrated and sorry for the children and their families.”
- Principal in Co. Roscommon: “We are very disappointed that pupils with complex needs were not taken into account in the new model for calculating allocations.” (A separate letter regarding this issue has been written to the Minister)
The Department of Education’s error in releasing SET Allocation Hours prematurely at 11pm on Friday before retracting them over the February bank Holiday weekend caused further confusion.
Simon Lewis from the National Principals’ Forum said, “For principals that waited until the official figures came out, after being told the file uploaded was a sample file, it was incredibly disheartening to see the prematurely uploaded figures were in fact the correct ones and the Department compounded the stress it had induced.”
The survey revealed that 50.4% of respondents would prefer the Department of Education to create the SET clusters in the future. Other solutions offered by participants were rounding up allocations to full posts or allowing schools to decide on clustering autonomously.
Principals share their emotional and logistical burdens:
- Principal in Co. Offaly: “I despair at the thought of losing teachers to the panel when schools are crying out for more support.”
- Principal in Co. Wicklow: “Our SET contributes so much to the school… Losing this SET would be a huge loss.”
- Principal in Co. Limerick: “Consistency for schools and for the children, particularly those with SEN, is paramount.”
- Principal in Co. Wexford: “As a small school, every member of staff is of paramount importance to us. It is unthinkable that we could lose a member of staff to the panel.”
Laura Kelly, principal in Co. Kilkenny, encapsulates the sentiment: “This list is unending and yet the dept feel it is ok to continue to load on the roles and responsibilities to principals… I am utterly overwhelmed. This job is not sustainable.”
The NPF implores the Department of Education to consider these findings seriously and to implement comprehensive reforms that acknowledge the diverse needs of SEN students, ensure adequate and equitable resource allocation, and respect the professional judgment and well-being of school leaders.