Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 June 2004
129 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to concerns expressed that many small schools may lose out under the terms of his announcement of 18 June 2004 regarding the new special needs allocation system; the number of schools that will lose out as a result of the clustering of schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19476/04]
View answer153 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Education and Science the main features of his announcement of 18 June 2004 regarding the new special needs allocation system; if it is intended to have an appeals system for schools with a number of special needs children that falls outside the strict criteria for the new weighted system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19475/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 153 together.
In circular 24/03, the Department stated its intention to engage in discussions with representative interests with a view to developing a weighted system of teacher allocations for special needs teaching. The allocation of an additional 350 teaching posts for special needs and a new system for the allocation of resources for special needs in primary schools have now been approved. The new system will involve a general weighted allocation for all primary schools to cater for pupils with higher incidence special educational needs, for example, those with borderline mild and mild general learning disability, specific learning disability and those with learning support needs. It will also allow for individual allocations in respect of pupils with lower incidence 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; in all boys schools, the ratio will be one teacher for every 140 pupils; in mixed schools or all girls schools with an enrolment of greater than 30% boys, one for every 150 pupils; and in all girls schools, including schools with mixed junior classes but with 30% or less boys overall, one for every 200 pupils. It is intended that the details of the new model will be set out in a comprehensive circular to issue to schools for the commencement of the new school year.
The weighted allocation will enable teaching support to be provided to pupils with higher incidence special educational needs and this will obviate the need for schools to submit individual 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. At present, there are no plans to establish an appeals process for the allocation of teaching resources under the new weighted system.
It is now proposed 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. My Department will communicate with schools in this regard before the commencement of the coming school year. It is not possible at this stage to indicate what the impact of the clustering arrangements may be for any school involved in the process.
It is my intention that all applications for special educational resources received by 30 June 2004 will be responded to before the commencement of the 2004-05 school year. Applications for resource teacher support that were received between 15 February and 31 August 2003 for which a response is outstanding have been considered and schools have now been notified of the outcome. This outcome indicates to schools the resources that may be put in place immediately. Applications received after 31 August 2003 and by 30 June 2004 will be processed in the near future and the outcome will be notified to schools before the commencement of the 2004-05 school year.
