Paul McGrath
Question:361 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the help or resources available from his Department to pre-school children with special needs to prepare them for entry to primary school. [11492/04]
View answerTuesday, 27 April 2004
Questions (302, 303)
Written answers
I wish to advise the Deputy that the primary responsibility for service provision for pre-school age children rests with the appropriate health authority. However, my Department has established eight pre-school classes for children with autism, four in Dublin and four in Cork. In addition, my Department may sanction home tuition grants for children with autism who are of pre-school age and for whom a home educational programme is considered appropriate. Similar provision is made for children of school-going age who are awaiting an appropriate educational placement. My Department has also sanctioned a pre-school run by the model school for the deaf project on a pilot basis for five years to June 2007. This service caters for up to six pupils and is based in Cabra, Dublin.
Last July, I published the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003. This Bill, when enacted, will provide a clear and enforceable statement in law of the rights of children from birth to 18 years who, because of disabilities, including autism, have special educational needs. Provision will be made in the Bill for a statutory structure which will guarantee the educational rights of these children, and also for a formal appeals mechanism. My objective is to secure the passage of this legislation through the Oireachtas as quickly as possible.
Paul McGrath
Question:362 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department makes decisions on the provision of special needs assistants, additional resource teaching and resource materials to children with special needs in primary schools without a child having been assessed or interviewed or examined by personnel from his Department or by persons acting on his Department’s behalf; and the reason such additional help is refused in many cases despite the fact that the professional reports on many children recommend the appointment of a special needs assistant. [11493/04]
View answerEligibility for additional resources is established by means of psychological, or other professional assessment. My Department's circular letters 7/02 and 8/02 define stringent criteria for identifying each category of disability and quantify the level of resources to be allocated in respect of each. A survey conducted by my Department's inspectorate in 2002 indicated a significant number of anomalies in the applications for extra resources. My Department has therefore decided to review new applications and to check the data in the supporting professional reports to see if they comply with the criteria in the circular letters.
The assessment findings are not in dispute but it has been found in a significant number of cases that recommendations had been made for the allocation of extra resources, although the assessment data did not conform to the specific criteria outlined in circular letters 7/02 and 8/02. It is the responsibility of all professionals who conduct assessments to clarify in their reports to schools the eligibility for additional resources of the children assessed.
From September 2004, my Department is introducing a weighted system of resource allocation to schools. This will allow resources to be speedily allocated to pupils with disabilities on the basis of school based assessment, pending full psychological, or other professional assessment.