Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 October 2004
307 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if the special educational needs of persons at a school (details supplied) in Dublin 5 will be urgently addressed; if the situation will be changed whereby some pupils receive 28 minutes per week learning support; and if additional resources will be granted to resolve this matter. [26402/04]
View answerWhere pupils with special educational needs enrol in a post-primary school, it is open to the school to apply to my Department for additional teaching and-or special needs assistant support for these pupils. My Department allocates additional teaching support and special needs assistant support to second level schools and vocational educational committees to cater for pupils with special educational needs. Each application is considered on the basis of the assessed needs of the pupils involved and having regard to a range of factors including the overall resources available to the school.
Following consideration of the application from the school concerned, my Department allocated a total of 14.66 hours per week teaching support for the 2004-2005 school year to cater for the special educational needs of pupils enrolled. The level of resources allocated by my Department was determined after detailed consideration of the school's application, the supporting documentation provided, including the recommendations made by the National Educational Psychological Service and having regard to the overall level of resources, including four surplus or over quota posts, already available to the school.
Where a school authority is of the view that the level of needs within the school is such as to be incapable of being addressed from within its current allocation, my Department will consider these concerns. Such consideration requires a clear demonstration of the inadequacy of the allocation by reference to the current utilisation of the school's available resources.
In relation to the school in question, my Department reviewed the school's allocation based on the concerns presented by the school. However, it was considered that the current staffing allocation was adequate to meet the needs of the pupils concerned.
