Education Therapy Service rolled out to schools

Recruitment for the Education Therapy Service, which will be managed overall by the National Council for Special Education, is currently under way, with interviews scheduled for this month. File picture: iStock

The first schools to be part of a new service which will see therapists assigned have been selected by the Department of Education.

The Education Therapy Service (ETS) is to be first launched in 45 special schools across Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Tipperary, Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow.

Many therapeutic supports including occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and behavioural therapy, were removed from special schools in 2020.

Recruitment for the ETS, which will be managed overall by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), is currently under way, with interviews scheduled for this month.

Under the service, each special school is expected to have a speech and language therapist and occupational therapist assigned by 2026/27.

The department also expects the service to later be rolled out to all schools to support children with additional needs.

The ETS has been described as an "additional support" that will not impact on existing children’s health and disability services. 

Schools were selected using a "weighting system" that considered factors such as existing therapy supports, the needs and number of students per school, date of school establishment, as well as the NCSE’s regional structures. 

In Cork, the four special schools selected for phase one of the rollout are North Cork Community Special School, Holy Family Special School, Sonas Special Primary Junior School, and Cara Junior School. 

In Limerick Limerick Community Special School and St Vincent's Special School have been selected.

A further 15 schools have been selected in Dublin. 

The ETS is expected to follow a "multi–tiered" model of support so that "children and young people with the highest level of need receive the most appropriate support".

This will include universal support for all students, "targeted" support for groups with similar needs, and individualised support for children and young people with the most complex needs. 

Minister for special education and inclusion Michael Moynihan said the ETS is "designed to supplement, not replace, existing children’s health and disability services". 

"The delivery of therapies in schools will be a major support to children and their families and is another way to ease the stress families can sometimes face in accessing therapy supports," hew said.

Minister for education Hildegarde Naughton said the roll-out of the service is expected to continue throughout the year. 

Further recruitment is planned across Offaly, Sligo, Clare, Mayo, and Roscommon in March, followed by Donegal, Kerry, Cavan and Waterford by the end of June, she added. 

"A rolling national recruitment campaign will continue to ensure therapy needs across the school system are met."