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Special Educational Needs.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 June 2004

Tuesday, 22 June 2004

Questions (155, 156, 157, 158)

Seán Haughey

Question:

145 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Education and Science the functions of resource teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18340/04]

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Seán Haughey

Question:

146 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Education and Science the functions of learning support teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18341/04]

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Seán Haughey

Question:

147 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Education and Science the functions of special class teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18342/04]

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Seán Haughey

Question:

148 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Education and Science the functions of special needs assistants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18343/04]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 to 148, inclusive, together.

The post of resource teacher is an additional post allocated to assist a school or cluster of schools in providing an education, which meets the needs of children assessed as having disabilities. Under the direction of the relevant principal, the role of the resource teacher is to provide additional teaching support for these children who have been fully integrated into mainstream schools and who need such support. In addition, he or she should advise and liaise with other teachers, parents and relevant professionals in the children's interest.

Learning support teachers provide additional teaching support for pupils with literacy or numeracy difficulties who score at or below the tenth percentile in standardised tests of literacy and numeracy. My Department has been developing a new weighted system for the allocation of teacher resources, which I announced recently. This system, as part of which an additional 350 teaching posts will be allocated, will involve two main elements: making a staffing allocation to schools based on a predicted incidence of pupils with special educational needs; and making individual allocations in the case of children with more acute lower-prevalence special educational needs.

It is expected that the change to a weighted system will bring with it a number of benefits. The new system will reduce the need for individualised educational psychological assessments; reduce the volume of applications to my Department for additional resources for individual pupils; and give greater flexibility to schools, which will facilitate the development and implementation of improved systems and procedures in schools to meet the needs of pupils with low achievement and pupils with special educational needs. Under the weighted system, the post of learning support teacher and resource teacher will be merged to provide an allocation of special education teacher posts to primary schools.

Special class teachers are allocated to special schools and to special classes attached to mainstream primary schools. Such classes operate with enhanced pupil teacher ratios, for example, 6:1 in the case of pupils with severe or profound general learning disability, GLD, and 8:1 for pupils with a moderate GLD.

Special needs assistants are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with disabilities in an educational context. They may be appointed to a special school or a mainstream school in cases where a pupil has a significant medical need for such assistance, a significant impairment of physical or sensory function or where their behaviour is such that they are a danger to themselves or to other pupils.

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