Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 April 2004
312 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science when he intends to make public and act on the long-awaited new weighted system for assessing and providing for the requirements of children with special needs in primary schools. [11136/04]
View answerApplications for special educational resources, SER, received between 15 February and 31 August 2003 are being considered at present. In all, more than 5,000 such applications were received. Priority was given to cases involving children starting school last September and all these cases were responded to at or before the commencement of the current school year. The balance of more than 4,000 applications has been reviewed by a dedicated team comprising members of my Department's inspectorate and the national educational psychological service, NEPS. These applications are being further considered in the context of the outcome of surveys of SER provision conducted over the past year or so. Account is also being taken of the data submitted by schools as part of the nationwide census of SER provision.
My Department is at present reviewing existing arrangements for the allocation of special educational supports to primary schools. In that context, my officials have been involved in ongoing discussions on a weighted system of allocation of resource teaching support with representative interests. At this stage, it would be premature to anticipate the outcome of this process. However, the basic purpose of the new system is to ensure that each school has the level of resources required to cater for its pupils with special educational needs.
This process is a complex and time-consuming operation. However, my Department is endeavouring to have this completed as quickly as possible and my officials will then respond to all applicant schools. Pending a response, schools are advised to refer to Circular 24/03, which issued in September 2003. This circular contains practical advice on how to achieve the most effective deployment of resources already allocated for special educational needs within the school. The arrangements for processing applications received after 31 August 2003 will also be considered in the context of the proposed new weighted system of allocation. A further communication will be sent to schools in this regard.
313 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the fact that there is a growing problem in the special needs sector of education, which is reflected in the increase in resource demand on the school transport budget. [11167/04]
View answerI am aware of the increasing level of applications for special educational supports, including an increase in the demand for school transport services for special needs pupils being made to my Department. In view of the rapidly escalating cost of providing the school transport service, which has more than doubled since 1997, my Department is in the process of finalising a review.
314 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the fact that as various people working in the disability sector have highlighted, appropriate resources are not being allocated to special needs education, bearing in mind the huge backlog in the provision of assessments for special needs children in this State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11168/04]
View answerChildren with serious disabilities that are of low incidence, for example, physical and sensory disabilities, moderate, severe or profound learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder and specific speech and language disability are normally assessed by the clinical services of the relevant health board before entering school. The issue of any backlog of assessments in that sector is a matter for the health boards. Where such serious disabilities are suspected in a schoolgoing child, the national educational psychological service prioritises these assessments to ensure that there is not a long waiting time. If the child attends a school that is not yet served by NEPS, an assessment may be arranged under the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments. Principals of schools that avail of the scheme prioritise the more serious cases for early assessment.
It is the case that there has been a substantial number of children awaiting assessment where a less serious disability of high incidence is suspected, for example, mild general learning disability or specific learning disability. From September 2004, my Department is introducing a weighted system of resource allocation to schools. This will allow resources to be speedily allocated to children with disabilities on the basis of school-based assessment, pending full psychological or other professional assessment.
315 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo with special needs will be placed in the education system; and the education that has been offered to him to date. [11170/04]
View answerMy Department sanctioned resource teaching and special needs assistant support to facilitate the child's attendance at a local school in August 2003. However, it appears that the child concerned was not enrolled in the school. I understand that the option of a placement in a special school in the area has also been offered to the child's family through a local service provider. My Department's inspectorate will contact the family shortly to clarify the position.
