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Special Educational Needs.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 July 2004

Thursday, 8 July 2004

Questions (125, 126)

John Bruton

Question:

119 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will allocate financial resources to a school (details supplied) to provide sufficient resource or support teachers for the school; if a support teacher will be financed for the school for a person (details supplied) in County Meath to allow them to learn satisfactorily when they return to this school after having been taught for the past two years in St. Rose’s national school in Tallaght which assists children with dyslexia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20859/04]

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Written answers

My Department has received applications from the school referred to by the Deputy for special education resources, SER. It is my intention that all applications for SER received by 30 June 2004, including the application for the pupil in question, will be responded to before the commencement of the 2004-05 school year.

The teacher allocations involved will be made in the context of a new weighted system which I announced recently. An additional 350 teacher posts are being provided to facilitate the introduction of the new system. 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 also 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.

My Department now 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.

Gerard Murphy

Question:

120 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Science the situation when a person (details supplied) in County Cork resumes school in September 2004; if they will be allocated a classroom assistant; and the reason the school had to re-submit the application recently. [20883/04]

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My Department has received an application for an increase in special needs assistant support for the pupil referred to by the Deputy. Special needs assistants may be approved to support a pupil who has a significant medical need for such assistance or a significant impairment of physical or sensory function or where their behaviour is such that they are a danger to themselves or other pupils. The criteria used for the assessment of the need for special needs assistant support is outlined in my Department's Circular 07/02. This circular may be accessed on my Department's website under "Children with Special Needs".

My Department continues to review existing arrangements for the allocation of special educational supports to primary schools. The basic purpose of the review is to ensure that each school has the level of resources required to cater for its pupils with special educational needs. Since 1998, the number of special needs assistants in primary schools has grown from about 300 to more than 5,500 full-time and part-time posts. I assure the Deputy that special needs assistants posts will be retained in schools where there is a continuing care need in accordance with Circular 07/02.

Account is being taken of existing levels of special needs assistant support allocation in schools. In cases where a reduction in the level of special needs assistant support is proposed, there will be provision for schools to appeal, having regard to the care needs of the pupils concerned. Details of the appeals mechanism will be set out in a communication to schools.

I refer the Deputy to Circular SP ED 09/04 which may be accessed on my Department's website, www.education.ie, under “Children with special needs”. The circular advises schools that have applied for special needs assistant support that they will be notified of the outcome of their applications as soon as possible in advance of the next school year. This includes the application for the pupil referred to by the Deputy.

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