Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 October 2004
310 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science if she has received a communication from a school (details supplied) in County Cork regarding the need to appoint a special education teacher to the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26035/04
View answerI can confirm that my Department received correspondence from the school referred to by the Deputy in relation to its allocation of learning support teaching provision. The school, which has 11 part-time hours' learning support, was advised of its teacher allocation under the new weighted system on 24 June 2004.
The Deputy will be aware that my Department has developed a new weighted system of allocation of resource teaching supports in primary schools. The proposed system for the allocation of resource teachers comprises both a general allocation for pupils with mild learning disabilities-difficulties and specific allocations for individual pupils with more complex needs. The revised system will put teaching resources permanently in place to meet the needs of children with special needs. The system will greatly reduce the need for individual applications and supporting psychological assessments. It will also allow for better planning in schools, greater flexibility in identifying and intervening earlier with regard to pupils' special needs, as well as making the posts more attractive to qualified teachers.
The previous allocation system placed significant demands on principals, teachers and psychologists. It has also proven to be time-consuming, thereby delaying the allocation of resources for special needs. I believe that the new model will, over time, significantly improve the capacity of the system to cater for children with special needs in a speedier, more effective way. The revised system will reduce the administrative burden on schools and allow them to concentrate on the delivery of services to pupils with special needs. It will also allow psychologists to devote more time to advising teachers on planning for individual children and for whole school provision.
The Deputy will also be aware that I am having the impact of the revised allocation model reviewed to ameliorate any difficulties arising, particularly in small and rural schools. I want to ensure that it provides an automatic response while at the same time ensuring that pupils currently in receipt of service continue to receive the level of service appropriate to their needs. The needs of the school in question will be considered in the context of this review.
