FINANCING

Special schools and mainstream primary and post-primary schools are generally funded in the same manner, their capital and current costs being predominantly funded by the State.

However, additional funding and support for students with special educational needs enrolled in both mainstream and special schools is provided under a variety of headings, as follows:

- Enhanced capitation grants in respect of students with defined levels of learning disability enrolled in special schools, classes or services.

- Free transport to special schools or special classes in mainstream schools or a grant to lieu to parents, where provision of special transport is not feasible.

- Escorts on school transport for children with SEN

- Additional teaching support for children with SEN who are fully integrated into mainstream schools

- Resource teaching support for children with low-incidence SEN who are integrated into mainstream schools

- Reduced pupil-teacher ratios in special schools and in special classes attached to mainstream schools

- Special needs assistant (SNA) support for children with care needs in special and mainstream schools.

- Grants for special equipment such as hearing and radio aids, braillers and computers.

- Grants for specialised seating and other furniture

- Start-up and annual grants for special class teachers, resource teachers and learning support teachers for the purchase of equipment and materials.

- Payment of travel and subsistence expenses to visiting teachers; payment of travel expenses to learning support resource/teachers who visit clusters of schools.

- Funding of specialist teaching services to special schools.

- Funding of Home Tuition Schemes for students with special educational needs who are unable, through illness, to attend school or who are awaiting a suitable educational placement

- Payment of salaries of Special Needs Assistants employed in mainstream and special schools.

- Payment of salaries of concessionary teachers in schools located in areas designated as disadvantaged.

- Payment of supplementary grants for equipment and materials to schools located in areas designated as disadvantaged

For further information on additional funding and supports, please visit www.education.ie and www.citizensinformation.ie