Vol. 566 No. 3
258 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science when a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be allocated a resource teacher as determined in psychological reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12743/03]
262 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science when a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be allocated a school assistant as determined in reports by their psychologist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12756/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 258 and 262 together.
The school authorities were notified on 29 April 2003 that resources would not be put in place for the person to whom the Deputy refers. My Department's Circular Letter 08/02 sets out the criteria for eligibility for extra resources in respect of special educational needs. In relation to specific learning disability, it stipulates that resource teaching for 2.5 hours per week may be allocated only to children whose test results fulfil the following criteria:
Such children have been assessed by a psychologist as: being of average intelligence or higher; and having a degree of learning disability specific to basic skills in reading, writing or mathematics which places them at or below the second percentile on suitable, standardised, norm-referenced tests. Children who do not meet these criteria and who, in the opinion of the psychologist, have a specific learning disability, are more properly the responsibility of the learning support and-or class teacher.
My Department's Circular Letter 07/02 refers to the care needs of pupils with disabilities in an educational context. There was insufficient evidence provided to my Department to enable a definitive decision to be taken regarding the application for special needs assistant support for the pupil in question. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the test scores of an individual child, but the information can be made available to his parents.
