Special Education Teacher Allocation Ireland: How the SET Model Works in 2024/25
One of the most significant — and least understood — changes in Irish special education in recent years is how Special Education Teacher (SET) hours are now allocated to schools. The old model tied resources to individual diagnoses: a child diagnosed with dyslexia triggered a certain number of resource teaching hours, a child with an autism diagnosis triggered different hours.
That model was replaced, first in 2017 and then refined in 2024. Understanding how the current model works is critical for parents, because it changes both what you can ask for and how you should ask for it.
The Core Shift: From Individual Diagnosis to School Profile
Under Circular 0002/2024 (primary) and Circular 0003/2024 (post-primary), SET hours are now allocated to schools as whole units, based on the school's overall educational profile — not based on the medical diagnoses of individual pupils.
This means:
- Your child does not need a formal HSE or private diagnosis before the school can provide SET support
- The school cannot tell you it's waiting for a diagnosis before starting any intervention
- SET support should begin as soon as the school identifies an educational need through the NEPS Continuum of Support
This is a genuine policy improvement for families on long HSE waiting lists — but many schools haven't changed their practice, and many parents don't know they have the right to push back when told "we need the report first."
How the SET Allocation Is Calculated
The school's allocation is determined by three weighted components:
1. Complex Needs, Literacy, and Numeracy (68.5% of the weighting) This is the dominant factor. It is assessed using aggregate data on students performing at the lower levels in standardized tests. Critically, students with profound complex needs who are exempt from standardized testing automatically receive the highest weighting in this pillar. This ensures that children with severe disabilities who cannot sit a standardized test still drive maximum resource allocation.
2. School Enrolment (25% of the weighting) A baseline component based on total pupil numbers. Larger schools receive proportionally more hours.
3. Social Disadvantage (6.5% of the weighting) Based on the socioeconomic profile of the school's catchment. Schools serving more disadvantaged communities receive additional weighting.
Allocations are recalculated and updated annually. This means a school's SET hours can increase or decrease year-to-year based on its profile — which is why schools facing significant demographic changes may see shifts in available support.
What the Model Means for Your Child Practically
Because SET hours belong to the school, the principal and SET team determine how those hours are distributed across the pupil cohort. There is no guaranteed minimum number of SET hours per child. This is the tension at the heart of the model: it gives schools flexibility, but it also means individual children can fall through the cracks if the school's prioritization doesn't align with their needs.
What you can do:
- Request to know in writing how many SET hours your child is currently receiving and how often
- Ask what criteria the school uses to prioritize SET deployment across the school's population
- If your child's needs are severe and the school's SET allocation appears insufficient, ask what the school's process is for escalating to School Support Plus and for engaging with NEPS
The model also has a significant advocate-friendly feature: because resources are allocated based on the school's profile, schools cannot plausibly claim they have no SET hours. Every mainstream school in Ireland has a SET allocation. If support is not reaching your child, the question is not whether the resource exists — it is why it is not being directed appropriately.
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The Controversy: What Was Lost in the New Model
When the diagnosis-based model was replaced, organizations including Inclusion Ireland raised serious concerns. The main critique: by removing HSE CDNT diagnostic data from the allocation formula, the model may dilute targeted support for children with the most complex disabilities in favor of broad literacy and numeracy remediation for the wider population.
From a parent advocacy perspective, this matters. Under the current model, a child with a severe intellectual disability and a child who is slightly behind on reading benchmarks are both "eligible" for the same SET resource pool in the school. The school decides how to prioritize.
If you believe your child's complex needs are not being prioritized appropriately, the NEPS Continuum of Support framework and the Board of Management's obligations under Section 15(2)(d) of the Education Act 1998 are your primary levers.
If You Move Schools Mid-Year
SET hours are allocated to schools at the start of the year. If your child moves schools mid-year, the receiving school's allocation does not automatically increase to reflect your child's presence. For children with high-support needs, contact the SENO before any mid-year school transfer to understand how the transition will be managed.
What Schools Must Do When a Child Needs Support But Has No Diagnosis
This is a scenario many families face while waiting for HSE CDNT assessments or private assessments: the child clearly needs support, the teachers can see it, but the school says it is waiting for a formal report before doing anything.
The position is clear under Circular 0002/2024: the school must respond to observed educational need through the NEPS Continuum of Support, regardless of whether a clinical diagnosis exists. The child does not need to be on a CDNT caseload, have a private assessment, or even be on the HSE waiting list for the school to begin Classroom Support, School Support, or School Support Plus.
If you are told "we're waiting for the report from the CDNT," respond in writing citing Circular 0002/2024 directly: "My understanding under Circular 0002/2024 is that SET support is allocated based on the school's profile and should be accessed through the Continuum of Support based on observed educational need, not conditional on an external medical report. Please confirm in writing whether my child is currently receiving Continuum of Support interventions and at what level."
Schools will rarely follow up on a verbal conversation in the same way they respond to a documented written request.
How to Request Visibility Into Your Child's SET Support
Many parents do not know how many SET hours their child is receiving, in what format, or how frequently. This information belongs in the School Support Plan, but the SSP is not always shared proactively.
Request in writing:
- The total number of weekly SET sessions your child receives
- The format of each session (individual, small group, whole class support)
- The programme or approach being used in SET sessions
- The SET teacher's name and whether this is consistent week to week
Consistency matters. Children with SEN — particularly those with autism or anxiety — benefit significantly from familiar relationships. A school that rotates multiple staff through SET sessions without a consistent key relationship is undermining the value of the support.
For a complete guide to navigating the SET allocation model, requesting school-level accountability, and escalating when support isn't reaching your child, see the Ireland NEPS & SEN Blueprint.
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