Vol. 501 No. 4
164 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Science the policy of his Department regarding the continuation of the teacher and counsellor service; when he will release a survey conducted by his Department into the work of the service; the reason for a name change from teacher and counsellor to support teacher as it resulted in disquiet among many teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6321/99]
The teacher-counsellor pilot project was established in 1995 in 31 schools in response to representations which were made by principal teachers regarding the education of a small number of pupils in their schools whose behaviour was disruptive and-or disturbed. Twenty seven teachers were deployed in schools in Tallaght/North Clondalkin and in the North Dublin inner city to support the particular pupils. The teachers' work was also intended to benefit the other pupils whose education was being interrupted and school atmosphere generally. This service was provided as an addition to the other school resources, including remedial teaching, to meet the needs of a small targeted cohort of pupils with a particular difficulty. The schools on their part were to develop policies and strategies for behavioural management.
The project was evaluated in 1998 by members of the inspectorate in my Department. Some aspects of the reports recommendations are still under consideration in my Department and it is my intention that it will be made available to the project schools and other interested parties in the near future. The project was found to be meeting its main objectives though significant areas were identified as requiring further attention.
As evidence of my support for the service being provided for the specific pupils and for the school generally through the project, I decided that the project should continue in the original schools in the current school year. I also decided to extend the project to ten additional schools from last September.
