Written Answers. - Special Educational Needs.
Michael Creed
Question:
56
Mr. Creed
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the involvement of his Department in taking responsibility for identifying children in need of special educational placements; if his Department has any role in seeking an appropriate placement for such children based on their particular needs; if his attention has been drawn to the small number of schools which accept children with emotional behavioural difficulties; if he will expand this school base; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2717/01]
The great majority of teachers in ordinary schools use standardised norm referenced tests in literacy and mathematics. Very low functioning on these tests is an indication that a child may have special educational needs and is generally used as a basis for referral of the child to the national educational psychological service.
The national educational psychological service has responsibility for providing an educational psychological service to children and young people attending schools and other educational institutions recognised by my Department, with a particular emphasis on identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs. By the end of the year 2003, every school in the country should be assigned to a NEPS psychologist and most schools will have access to the service before that time.
The nature and level of the support made available to children with special educational needs is based on the professionally assessed needs of the individual child. My Department's inspectorate is available to assist with decisions regarding suitable educational placements for such pupils.
In many cases, children exhibiting less serious forms of special need, including emotional disturbance, are capable of attending ordinary primary schools on an integrated basis. Such children can be supported by the resource teacher service and-or the special needs assistant service. The number of resource teachers catering for children with special needs in the primary system, including children with emotional disturbance, has increased from 104 in October 1998 to 742 by the end of year 2000. The number of special needs assistants has grown from 299 to 1,629 over the same period. My Department is continuing to allocate additional resource teachers and special needs assistants in response to identified needs.
Where more pronounced forms of emotional disturbance are involved, the children have access to a range of special schools and special classes attached to ordinary schools. All such facilities operate at reduced pupil-teacher ratios and attract extra funding allocations.
At present, there are 14 special schools catering for pupils with emotional disturbance and one special school for pupils with severe emotional disturbance. In addition, there are five special classes attached to ordinary primary schools to cater for such children.
My Department will continue to monitor provision for the children in question and any necessary additional provision will be made available in response to identified needs.
