Consultation begins on classroom support reforms

The EA is today launching an eight-week public consultation on enhancing the current special educational needs classroom support model.

The aim of the reforms is to improve outcomes for children and young people. This can be achieved by changing current rigid approaches that often do not work for children. Schools will have more flexibility on how to best provide support.

Tomas Adell, EA's Chief Transformation Officer, said: 

“The evidence, both in Northern Ireland, and from best practice elsewhere is clear: each day that we continue to operate the current support model for our children and young people with SEN, we accept less than optimal provision for their needs. To improve outcomes, it is essential to that we transform and update the current model of support.

"Reform can also bring benefits for classroom assistants, teachers and school communities as a whole."

The public consultation document sets out how schools will have greater freedom to tailor classroom support to the individual needs of children. Where appropriate, they can move away from the current "one size fits all" model with its over reliance on one-to-one classroom assistant support for all children.

Every child who needs one-to-one support will continue to receive it. Any changes will be introduced sensitively on an individual basis, through the established annual review process for each child's provision.

The current classroom support model cannot properly deliver for children or meet increasing levels of need. Faced with this reality, many schools in NI have begun to develop alternative approaches to classroom support. The reforms set out in the public consultation will help formalise and encourage this approach.

Alternatives to a blanket one-to-one support model will include small group learning sessions, use of different teaching methods, and enhanced access to educational and health specialists.

The planned reforms will be implemented gradually over a number of years and will be shaped throughout this process by input from children, parents, carers, teachers, classroom assistants and school leaders as well as emerging evidence of best practice.

The reforms will involve changes to the process for new statements of special educational need. Reflecting the more flexible support model, new statements will be focused on the individual needs of each child and will not be overly prescriptive on classroom support options.

The consultation proposes that implementation of the new classroom support model will start from September 2026. EA will begin by working with around 150 mainstream schools who are already adopting alternative models of support to implement the model. EA will also work with the 40 Special Schools in NI.

In 2027-2028, rollout will cover schools across two Health and Social Care Trust areas. It will extend to the remaining three Trust areas in 2028-29, meaning the Enhanced Support Model will then be standard practice across NI.

The key features of the new Enhanced Support Model are:

• Focus on needs: Statements will specify functional needs of individual pupils and the specialist actions required.
• School‑led delivery: School leaders will determine how to deliver support reflecting essential required standards set and overseen by EA
• Capability‑building at the centre: Pupils’ skills and independence will be the focus of staff.
• Creation of professionalised support staff: Tiered specialist roles will create specialism and career progression.

The public consultation and detailed supporting documents are available here: 

Consultation 

Enhanced Support Model FAQS