Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 July 2004
170 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Science the funds which have been allocated to a school (details supplied) in Dublin 12 to ensure that children with special needs are assessed and have appropriate educational supports assigned to meet their needs. [21124/04]
View answerThe school named by the Deputy has access to the psychological service provided by the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS. Schools served by NEPS do not have funds assigned to them in respect of the psychological service. They are offered a level of service that is decided by a number of factors, such as disadvantaged status and incidence of special needs. In this instance, the school is recognised by NEPS as having many needs and is therefore offered as high a level of service as possible, given time constraints.
The Deputy may be aware that my Department has developed a new weighted system for the allocation of teaching supports to pupils with special needs. 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, more serious, special educational needs.
Special needs assistants may also be approved to support pupils with significant medical needs, significant impairment of physical or sensory function or whose 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 the Department's circular 07/02 which may be accessed on my Department's website www.education.ie under the heading 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.
