To meet rising national demands, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) partnered with Reinvigoration to transform how it delivers support to 4,000 schools across Ireland. Outdated processes were replaced with a robust, scalable service model—co-designed with staff, educators, and families.
Through Operational Excellence, the NCSE has improved efficiency, strengthened stakeholder engagement, and fostered a culture of Continuous Improvement—ensuring it is better equipped to serve students and schools across Ireland, now and in the future.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is a government agency in Ireland responsible for supporting students with special educational needs across approximately 4,000 schools. As a critical part of Ireland’s education infrastructure, the NCSE plays a vital role in ensuring that inclusive education is delivered effectively and equitably. With rising public expectations and growing political attention, the organisation needed to evolve its operational capabilities to meet national demands.
NCSE faced intense pressure to improve service delivery models and processes across schools, particularly in how advisory services special education teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) were allocated. Existing processes were no longer fit for purpose—lacking both the consistency and efficiency required at a national scale.
As stakeholder and government expectations grew, the NCSE knew that meeting them wouldn’t be a matter of working harder—it would take working smarter. They saw Operational Excellence as the way forward: a chance to make meaningful, lasting improvements at scale. But to truly embed this mindset and make it stick, they needed more than just a method—they needed a trusted, experienced partner.
NCSE partnered with Reinvigoration. What set Reinvigoration apart was:
Working closely with NCSE teams and key stakeholders, Reinvigoration supported the agency in:
John Kearney, CEO, NCSE
The Outcomes
The collaboration has delivered significant transformation across the NCSE:
A Robust, Scalable Review Process
Using Operational Excellence principles, the NCSE overhauled special education teacher and Special Needs Assistant review processes and strengthened service delivery—ensuring it now offers greater supports for 4,000 schools and aligns with stakeholder expectations.
Improved Stakeholder Engagement
By involving families, educators, and frontline staff throughout the redesign process, the NCSE ensured that the new service model was not only fit for purpose but widely supported.
Cultural Shift Towards Continuous Improvement
The initiative catalysed a deeper cultural change—one rooted in learning, awareness, and a mindset of ongoing refinement.
Increased Confidence in Service Delivery
Thanks to the structured and collaborative approach, NCSE now operates with greater assurance, knowing that their systems can evolve, and scale as needed.
Through its partnership with Reinvigoration, the National Council for Special Education has laid a strong foundation for long-term operational excellence. By embracing a structured, people-focused approach and investing in capability building, the NCSE has not only improved critical processes but also empowered its teams and stakeholders to drive ongoing improvements. The result is a more agile, responsive organisation—better equipped to meet the needs of schools, students, and families, now and into the future.