Education Therapy Service
delivered by the NCSE
Education Therapy Service
Education Therapy Service to be delivered by the NCSE
“The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) welcomes the development of the Education Therapy Service and looks forward to working closely with our colleagues in health and education to provide a coordinated and aligned service for children and young people and their families”
Education Therapy Service
Multi-tiered model of support
The Education Therapy Service (ETS) will work with schools and families to support children and young people to maximise their inclusion, participation and potential in education through a multi-tiered model of support that is evidence-informed, solution-focused and aligned with educational goals.
Education Therapy Service
Promoting Inclusive Education
The ETS will actively promote inclusive education across the full continuum of education supports, while working collaboratively with parents, school staff, existing children’s services, NEPS and other NCSE services. The ETS will focus on support needs identified in a school setting that will benefit from an education-based therapy response and educationally relevant outcomes.
Education Therapy Service
Overview of the Education Therapy Service
The Education Therapy Service (ETS) will include therapy supports from Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists. The ETS builds on the existing therapy service in the NCSE and is part of a broader inclusive education strategy.
The ETS will provide three strands of support to the education system, which include:
Education Therapy Service
Strand 1 – Embedded Therapy Support
This is a new support being rolled out as part of ETS. The service will assign therapist/s to special schools and employ a multi-tiered model of support, which includes supports at a universal, targeted and individualised level. Ensuring children with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of support.
An embedded therapy service will promote the development of strong relationships between therapists, teachers, special needs assistants and parents, allowing for co-design, joint problem solving and consistency across home and school. It also provides the opportunity for consistent collaboration across existing children’s services.
Education Therapy Service
Strand 2 – Sustained In-school Therapy (SIT)
NCSE Therapists working intensively with selected schools over a two-year period to address specific needs identified in collaboration with each school. This is an existing strand of ETS within the NCSE.
Education Therapy Service
Strand 3 – Regional Therapy (RT)
Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) with a range of follow-on implementation supports for teachers, available across both NCSE regions. This is an existing strand of ETS within the NCSE.
Education Therapy Service
Phased Implementation
Rollout of the ETS will commence with 45 special schools later in the 2025/26 school year. Work is underway to finalise school selection for this initial phase.
Further roll out will then progress on a phased basis, with the aim that all special schools will have an assigned therapist in the 2026/27 school year.
Over time, the service will expand to include both special and mainstream classes.
Education Therapy Service
Ongoing and Upcoming Activities
– School selection for the initial phase is ongoing.
– Further information on therapist recruitment and additional information such as Frequently Asked Questions available here.
– Cross sector engagement will continue, ensuring alignment with existing services and consultation with parents, school leaders, and professional bodies to build a system that can provide the best possible outcomes for all children.