IPPN

Primary Substitute Salary: - Amendment to the Closing Dates for the Payment dates of 17 May 2007 and

Published: 24 April 2007

Primary Substitute Salary: - Amendment to the Closing Dates for the Payment dates of 17 May 2007 and 14 June 2007

Please note the following arrangements with regard to the closing dates for the payment dates of 17 May 2007 and 14 June 2007 payrolls which will apply to Primary Substitute Teachers.

Failure to submit substitute salary claim forms on or before the closing date will result in a delay in the payment of primary substitute teachers.

Payment Date	Payroll Period	Closing Dates
17 May 2007	200720	03 May 2007
14 June 2007	200724	31 May 2007

IPPN calls for adequate and consistent resourcing for Autism

Published: 04 April 2007

In the past eight years the educational provision for pupils with special needs has changed radically. Two of the main reasons for this were the high profile O'Donoghue and Sinnott court cases and recent legislation. The Education Act 1998 is an Act to make provision in the interest of the common good for the education of every person in the state, including any person with a disability or who has other special educational needs. The Education Welfare Act 2000 that further reinforced the entitlement of every child in the state to a certain minimum education followed this. The Equal Status Acts 2000 & 2004 promotes equality of opportunity, requires reasonable accommodation of people with disabilities and allows for positive action. The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 is an Act to make further provision for the education of people with special education needs, in an inclusive environment where possible, to establish the National Council for Special Education, to confer certain functions on Health Boards regarding the education of people with special needs and to enable appeals to be made when necessary. The Disability Act 2005 is an act to enable provision to be made for the assessment of health and education needs occasioned to persons with disabilities by their disabilities.

Originally the Department of Education & Science had a policy, in relation to Special classes for autism, of providing a teacher and two Special Needs Assistants for every six pupils. Many other court cases followed the O'Donoghue and Sinnott judgements and this resulted in the DES in providing extra resources. At last years IPPN's conference this differing provision was discussed. It was agreed to survey principals to ascertain the current situation in schools, the levels of support and the areas of major concern.

In total 210 principals responded to the questionnaire. This was an excellent return and gives a good overall view of the current level of provision. 80% were from co-educational schools and the divide between urban and rural was evenly split. Of the respondents, 16 were from special schools, 46 had special autistic classes, (varying from one to three), attached to mainstream schools, and the remainder were schools that had autistic pupils in mainstream classes. The special classes catered for pupils with Higher Functioning Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, Autism with Mild Learning Disability, Autism with Moderate General Learning Disability and Autism with Severe General Learning Disability. The size of schools varied from two teacher schools right up to the very large schools. Six of the schools were 'Primarily ABA', 14 were 'Primarily Teach', while the majority had an 'Eclectic Approach'.

Stop!...Go!...NEPS Service

Published: 02 April 2007

In the last week of March, IPPN learned from some principals that NEPS had removed service from their schools. We investigated and learned that 29 primary schools in Wicklow and South Dublin were to have their NEPS service withdrawn as part of a "re-ordering" of services. There was dismay and shock at this announcement. Considerable media attention was drawn to this matter after IPPN issued a press release with an article in the Irish Independent and radio coverage on national and local stations.

On 30^th March, it was then announced that this "re-ordering" was not now to take place and that the NEPS service would resume in these schools. IPPN welcomed the reversal of this decision and issued the following statement:

"IPPN (Irish Primary Principals Network) welcomes today's announcement from the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, TD restoring the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) service to primary schools in the Wicklow and Dublin areas. Twenty-nine schools had been told recently that they were to lose their NEPS service as a result of a re-ordering.

We also welcome the commitment to the continued expansion of this service. Every child in every school should be able to access the NEPS support service when it is needed. The excellent NEPS service needs to be available in every school as soon as possible. We highlighted this issue because of the deep concern felt by those principals whose schools had been told they were to lose this service. Over 5,000 children would have been affected."

Withrawal of NEPS Services at Short Notice

Published: 27 March 2007

NEPS service has been withdrawn at short notice and without explanation from 29 primary schools (5348 children) in South Dublin. These schools have been told they can avail of the commissioning service for assessments (SCPA). The effective date for these changes is 1st March 2007. Full answer by the Minister to a parliamentary question on Tues, 20th March

13 schools (5 primary, 8 second level, 4531 children) have been added to the NEPS service.
This appears to be part of a "reordering" of school coverage in Co. Dublin and Co. Wicklow.
Despite commitments to increasing and expanding the NEPS service, over 5,000 children in these schools have now suffered a reduction and removal of existing service.
IPPN has contacted NEPS seeking clarification on this matter and we will keep you informed of any developments.

If you are one of the schools affected, can you please contact me with details of how this measure will affect children in your school. This information will be useful in any discussions IPPN might have on the matter.

John Curran
PRO
IPPN
Dublin

pro@ippn.ie

Appendix A:

Parlimentary Question re Withdrawal of NEPS in Dublin & Wicklow

Uimhir:804
Ceist Pharlaiminte

Chun an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíoctha
To the Minister for Education and Science

To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of and the specific schools in the Dublin south constituency that have had their National Educational Psychological Service cover withdrawn in recent days; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
- Olivia Mitchell.

* For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 20th March, 2007.
Reference Number: 9746/07

Freagra

Minister for Education and Science (Mary Hanafin, T.D.)

The Deputy will be aware that all primary and post- primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA, whereby the school can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.

NEPS operates a regionally based service with eight regional directorates each responsible for the primary and post-primary schools within that region.
Additionally each region bears national responsibility for specific cross-cutting operational areas within the organisation (e.g. Special Education Liaison, Litigation, Research, etc.). NEPS service coverage within each regional is therefore governed by number of NEPS psychologists assigned, the number of schools in that region and the specific national responsibilities.

I can inform the Deputy that there has recently been some reordering of national responsibilities in the Eastern Regional Area , which includes parts of South Dublin and Co. Wicklow, which has resulted in some changes in school coverage from the 1st March last. In addition a number of schools designated under the DEIS scheme not heretofore assigned to a NEPS psychologist were so assigned in this period.

I attach for your information a list of schools in this region setting the position vis-Ãƒ -vis NEPS service and an additional listing for the schools whose position has changed in this regard following this reorganisation.

I reiterate that schools which do not have a NEPs psychologist assigned to them have access to the SCPA process to service their assessment needs. In addition to psychological assessment NEPS provides assistance to all schools and school communities that experience critical incidents regardless of whether or not they have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them and processes applications for Reasonable Accommodation in Certificate Examinations. NEPS also provides a service to children with visual impairment irrespective of the school which they attend.

Nonetheless should any school, not receiving coverage under the NEPS service have particular difficulties in accessing assessment I would advise that they contact the relevant NEPs Regional Director to discuss their issues.

Finally you will be aware that I have , building on the existing complement of
127 NEPS psychologists, announced an increase of 31 posts in 2007 of NEPS psychologist staff. My Department is currently in discussions with the Public Appointments Service in an effort to recruiting of these individuals as soon as possible in this regard. It is envisaged that these appointments will allow for further expansion of coverage by NEPS psychologists across all regions.
Additionally under the Towards 2016 Agreement commitments I have further announced that Neps psychologist number shall expand by some 35 posts in the following two years.*

Parliamentary Question re Withdrawal of NEPS in Dublin & Wicklow

Published: 27 March 2007

Uimhir:804
Ceist Pharlaiminte

Chun an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíoctha
To the Minister for Education and Science

To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of and the specific schools in the Dublin south constituency that have had their National Educational Psychological Service cover withdrawn in recent days; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
- Olivia Mitchell.

* For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 20th March, 2007.
Reference Number: 9746/07

Freagra

Minister for Education and Science (Mary Hanafin, T.D.)

The Deputy will be aware that all primary and post- primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA, whereby the school can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.

NEPS operates a regionally based service with eight regional directorates each responsible for the primary and post-primary schools within that region.
Additionally each region bears national responsibility for specific cross-cutting operational areas within the organisation (e.g. Special Education Liaison, Litigation, Research, etc.). NEPS service coverage within each regional is therefore governed by number of NEPS psychologists assigned, the number of schools in that region and the specific national responsibilities.

I can inform the Deputy that there has recently been some reordering of national responsibilities in the Eastern Regional Area , which includes parts of South Dublin and Co. Wicklow, which has resulted in some changes in school coverage from the 1st March last. In addition a number of schools designated under the DEIS scheme not heretofore assigned to a NEPS psychologist were so assigned in this period.

I attach for your information a list of schools in this region setting the position vis-Ãƒ -vis NEPS service and an additional listing for the schools whose position has changed in this regard following this reorganisation.

I reiterate that schools which do not have a NEPs psychologist assigned to them have access to the SCPA process to service their assessment needs. In addition to psychological assessment NEPS provides assistance to all schools and school communities that experience critical incidents regardless of whether or not they have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them and processes applications for Reasonable Accommodation in Certificate Examinations. NEPS also provides a service to children with visual impairment irrespective of the school which they attend.

Nonetheless should any school, not receiving coverage under the NEPS service have particular difficulties in accessing assessment I would advise that they contact the relevant NEPs Regional Director to discuss their issues.

Finally you will be aware that I have , building on the existing complement of
127 NEPS psychologists, announced an increase of 31 posts in 2007 of NEPS psychologist staff. My Department is currently in discussions with the Public Appointments Service in an effort to recruiting of these individuals as soon as possible in this regard. It is envisaged that these appointments will allow for further expansion of coverage by NEPS psychologists across all regions.
Additionally under the Towards 2016 Agreement commitments I have further announced that Neps psychologist number shall expand by some 35 posts in the following two years.*