Written Answers. - Disruptive Students.
Kathleen Lynch
Question:
52
Kathleen Lynch
asked the
Minister for Education
the services currently available for difficult or badly behaved children; the proposals, if any, she has for improving those services in the interests of both the children affected and other pupils whose education is disrupted by their behaviour; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[10177/97]
Since my appointment as Minister for Education, I have introduced a number of measures to address the problem of children who are difficult or disruptive in the classroom.
In 1995, I introduced the teacher-counsellor scheme on a pilot basis with the specific aim of addressing this problem. Under this scheme, a total of 27 teacher-counsellors have been allocated to 31 selected primary schools in the north inner city and Clondalkin areas of Dublin. The schools in question cater for some 7,829 pupils.
The role of the teacher-counsellor is twofold: (1) to co-ordinate a whole school approach to devising and implementing good practice and strategies which will help to prevent the occurrence of disruptive behaviour, and (2) to teach and counsel small groups and individuals who exhibit persistent behavioural difficulties in the classroom.
In 1996, I introduced the Breaking the Cycle initiative under which very significant resources are being targeted at selected urban and rural schools which have been identified as suffering from serious levels of disadvantage. A total of 33 urban and 123 rural schools have been included in this initiative.
In the case of the urban schools, a key element of the support package is the allocation of extra teaching posts to allow junior classes in the selected schools to operate at a pupil-teacher ratio of 15:1. I am satisfied that this substantial improvement in class sizes will be of particular assistance to the schools in question in dealing with the problems to which the Deputy refers.
The operation of the teacher-counsellor scheme and the Breaking the Cycle initiative will be subject to detailed evaluation. The outcome of these evaluations will provide a basis for considering the future development of these initiatives.
Since my appointment as Minister for Education, I have also introduced the Early Start pre-school programme and have presided over a significant expansion of the home-school-community liasion service at both primary and second level. All of these initiatives have a positive impact on pupil behaviour by fostering a greater appreciation among pupils and their parents of the value of education to their overall development.
I have also expanded the school psychological service with the appointment of an additional ten psychologists to the service in 1995.
Where cases of more serious disruptive behaviour are involved, the needs of the child may be such as to warrant placement in one of a range of special schools or special classes dedicated to children with emotional disturbance. At second level, my Department's psychological service is available to assess pupils to determine the nature and extent of any special needs with a view to having them addressed in the most appropriate manner. Programmes such as youth encounter projects and Youthreach are designed to cater for pupils whose needs can best be dealt with outside of the mainstream school system.
I am satisfied that the range of measures which I have outlined provide concrete evidence of my commitment to addressing the problem to which the Deputy refers.
