The number of children receiving special educational needs assistance in each education and library board (ELB) in each of the past six years is as follows:
BELB NEELB SEELB SELB WELB Total 2001-021 4,718 3,203 4,649 3,667 4,055 20,292 2002-03 9,991 8,013 9,895 9,036 9,426 46,361 2003-04 10,844 8,934 10,933 9,723 10,269 50,703 2004-05 10,862 9,767 11,306 10,149 11,009 53,093 2005-06 11,211 9,798 11,403 10,552 11,107 54,071 2006-07 12,797 10,275 11,640 11,188 11,762 57,662 1 Excludes information on SEN pupils at stages 1 to 4 of the COP in primary schools as this data was not collected in this year.
These figures are in respect of children at all stages (1-5) of the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs (COP) as reported in the annual school census for grant-aided schools and reported by the ELBs for children with statements of special educational needs outside the grant-aided sector.
The following table shows how much funding has been reported by the education and library boards (ELBs) in their accrued expenditure reports to the Department of Education as having been allocated to special needs education in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years. The response provided is therefore by education and library board area and is rounded to the nearest million.
BELB NEELB SEELB SELB WELB Total 2000-01 17 14 21 15 13 80 2001-02 19 16 23 17 16 91 2002-03 21 18 27 19 18 103 2003-04 26 21 32 22 23 124 2004-05 28 22 31 25 27 133 2005-06 27 27 35 26 27 142
Figures for 2006-07 are not yet available so I have provided figures for the last six years available.
Over the same six-year period additional funding of approximately £19 million has been allocated by the Department of Education to support statemented pupils in the voluntary grammar and grant-maintained integrated sectors.