Vol. 439 No. 2
164 Mr. O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education her views on whether a resource teacher is urgently required for the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry; whether she will sanction such an appointment; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
The role of the resource teacher is to act in support of ordinary teaching staff in dealing with the special needs of children with disabilities attending ordinary classes.
The resource teacher model is a recent innovation and is used in appropriate circumstances, as an alternative to the visiting teacher service which is also targeted on supporting children with disabilities in ordinary schools.
At present, 12 resource teacher posts are in place throughout the country. One such teacher is based in County Kerry and serves ten schools in the Cahirciveen area.
I will be keeping the question of further need in this area under review as part of a broader commitment to appoint additional support teachers in the special education area in the coming year. The needs of all schools, including schools in the Dingle Peninsula, will be considered in this context.
