Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2004
188 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the need to develop specific programmes in secondary schools to assist children who had special help in primary school; and if he will develop programmes to track them in the secondary school system and to provide them, when possible, with additional help particularly for literacy skills. [19131/04]
View answerMy Department allocates teacher posts and special needs assistant posts to second level schools and vocational education committees to cater for pupils with special educational needs. Applications for such support are made to my Department by the relevant school authority. Each application is considered on the basis of the assessed needs of a pupil. The nature and level of the support provided is determined by the advice of the psychological service. Learning support or remedial teacher services are provided to all second level schools. The service is focused on students with literacy or numeracy difficulties.
My Department's teacher education section has developed a strategy designed to meet the continuing professional development needs of personnel working with children with special educational needs. It involves a major expansion of the range of postgraduate professional training programmes available to teachers in the special needs area and the establishment of the special education support service to support school staff locally. I am confident that the advent of the national council for special education will prove of major benefit in developing policy in the area. It will ensure that all children with special educational needs receive the support they require when and where they require it.
189 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a school (details supplied) in Dublin 4 received no decision on its application for resource teaching hours for two persons; if his Department proposes a change of policy to allocate a support teacher for every 150 children on a school’s roll; and the way in which this would apply to this school that has around 100 pupils. [19132/04]
View answerMy Department received applications from the school for special education resources. Applications for resource teacher support were received between 15 February and 31 August 2003. The applications were considered and all schools have been notified of the outcome. Schools were notified of the resources that may be put in place immediately. I intend that all applications for SER received by 30 June, including the two applications from the school, will be responded to before the commencement of the 2004-2005 school year.
The teacher allocations involved will be made in the context of a new weighted system that I announced recently. An additional 350 teacher posts are being provided to facilitate the introduction of the new system. It will involve a general weighted allocation for all primary schools to cater for pupils with a higher incidence of special educational needs. For example, students with borderline, mild and general learning disability, specific learning disability and with learning support needs. It will also allow for allocations in respect of pupils with a lower incidence of special educational needs.
The weighted allocation will be made as follows. In the most disadvantaged schools as per the urban dimension of Giving Children an Even Break, a teacher of pupils with special educational needs will be allocated for every 80 pupils to cater for the subset of pupils with higher incidence special needs; the ratio will be one teacher for every 140 pupils in all boys schools; one for every 150 pupils in mixed schools or all girls schools with an enrolment of greater than 30% boys; one for every 200 pupils in all girls schools, including schools with mixed junior classes but with 30% or less boys overall. The details of the new model will be set out in a comprehensive circular. It will be issued to all schools for the commencement of the new school year.
The weighted allocation will enable teaching support to be provided to pupils with a higher incidence special educational needs. It will obviate the need for schools to submit applications for pupils in the higher incidence categories. Schools may continue to apply for specific teacher allocations in respect of pupils with lower incidence disabilities. My Department proposes to devise clusters in respect of allocations to be made under the weighted model. Sanction for the filling of posts will be considered in the context of these clusters and the weighted arrangements. The Department will communicate with schools in this regard before the commencement of the coming school year.
