Richard O'Donoghue Criticises New Special Needs Funding Model
Richard O'Donoghue criticised the department's new special needs funding model, saying key factors were removed and allocations are now driven largely by test scores and enrolment. He argued the changes discriminate against rural schools and will delay access to assessments, teachers and equal education for vulnerable pupils.
Model changes and allocations
The speaker said gender and complex needs have been removed from the factors that set allocations. He detailed the new modelling breakdown - 25% based on school enrolment, 68.5% on test scores in second, fourth and sixth class, and 6.5% on educational disadvantage tied to pupils' address.
Impact on rural and vulnerable pupils
He warned the address-based element discriminates against rural schools and the most vulnerable pupils, stressing that special needs can occur anywhere - "If you're living in Dublin 4 you can have special needs. If you're living in Limerick you can have special needs." He said the model risks leaving rural pupils without equitable support.
Assessment delays and private costs
The speaker recounted long waits for assessments under the current system and noted the practical barrier of private assessment costs, saying families who can pay about 1,700 euros can obtain assessments while others may wait years. He said this creates inequality in access to education supports.
Call for needs-based funding
He argued resources should be allocated on factual measures of how many pupils around a school need help and be distributed across large and small schools accordingly. Speaking as a parent and grandparent, he urged that funding, teacher resources and assessments be organised to ensure equal rights to education for all children.
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Members, congratulations in your role and I look forward to working with you. But we are here again, no different than last year or the year before, and now we have new people in charge of the department and we're now looking for resources for special needs. And the wording says it all when you look at special needs. But now there's no doubt that the gender and complex needs have been removed from the factors to set out allocations. There is now a new modelling for the assessment. 25% of the assessment now is down for the special needs is for the enrolment in your school. 68.5% then are based on test scores from pupils in second, fourth and sixth class. And this is the one that really beats me on. 6.5% educational disadvantage based on pupils on their address. I never knew special needs had to have. It can happen anywhere and it depends on no matter what address you are. No matter where you are. If you're living in Dublin 4 you can have special needs. If you're living in Limerick you can have special needs. Why would you put down something that's part of the model of where you're going to get the people to help people with special needs. So that discriminates against all rural schools. That discriminates against helping the most vulnerable people in this country that we're trying to help. I'm a father myself. I'm a grandfather. And anything we can do for our children or grandchildren or anyone in our area we will do to try and help them. But if this has been based on this we're never going to get the proper funding put in place to help people with special needs. We won't get the resources of the teachers in because of the way these standards are done. It should be based on facts. It should be based on the amount of pupils around the school that need help. That's what it's based on. And that then can be across all the schools whether you're a large school or a small school. That's what it's based on. On facts. And anyone that has any heart at all would know that that's what you've got to do. I've seen children go through years of school waiting for assessments. Unless you have 1700 euros that you can go away and get assessment yourself. Money fixes everything. But if you've got to go through the system that's there at the moment you could be waiting years. That discriminates against any person having equal rights to have an equal education with everyone else. That's where the problem lies. We need to make sure that the resources are equally given out.
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