Vol. 519 No. 5
345 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools in County Sligo that have applied for the appointment of a resource teacher; the criteria and conditions necessary for such an appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14361/00]
Details of the precise number of schools in County Sligo which have applied for a resource teacher service are not readily available in my Department. I will arrange to have this information forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The role of the resource teacher is to support children with disabilities who are attending ordinary schools on a fully integrated basis. The level of resource teacher support provided by my Department is based on the professionally assessed needs of the child or children involved. Resource teacher support may be allocated on a full-time basis to an individual school or to a group of schools, depending on the number of children involved and their level of need. Alternatively, where an individual or small group of children is involved, the support may take the form of a part-time hours allocation.
In May 1999 my Department issued a detailed circular to all primary schools advising them of the support services, including resource teacher services, available to all children with disabilities within the primary system. The circular advised schools of the procedures to be followed in applying for such support and specified the information to be submitted in support of such applications. A total of 424 resource teachers has been allocated to date to support children with disabilities within the primary system. My Department will continue to allocate such support in response to identified needs.
