Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 January 2005
1234 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science if a person (details supplied) in County Laois will continue, under the new weighted system developed within primary schools, to receive individual special needs tuition for 2.5 hours weekly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1899/05]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that my Department is proposing a new system for the allocation of resource teaching supports to pupils with special educational needs, SEN. This system will involve a general teaching allocation for all primary schools to cater for pupils with higher incidence SEN, that is, those with borderline mild and mild general learning disability specific learning disability, and also those with learning support needs. An additional 350 teacher posts are being provided to facilitate the introduction of the new system.
I am conscious of difficulties that could arise in relation to this model, particularly for children in small and rural schools, if it were implemented as currently proposed. Accordingly, I am having the proposed model reviewed to ensure that it provides an automatic response for pupils with common mild learning disabilities, without the need for cumbersome individual applications, 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 review will involve consultation with representative interests and the National Council for Special Education before it is implemented in the next school year.
I should emphasise that individual applications may continue to be made for specific resource teacher allocations in respect of pupils with lower-incidence special educational needs.
This pupil's SEN appear to be within the high incidence category. Therefore, it would be expected that these needs can be met from within the current resource learning support teaching allocation available to the school. The school currently has the services of one learning support post and 12.5 hours part-time resource teaching. It is a matter for the school to deploy these resources to meet the SEN of the pupils in the school.
1235 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the sanctioning of extra hours for a resource teacher appointed to a school (details supplied) in County Mayo or the possibility of appointing a second resource teacher to cover the rising and urgent need of this service in view of the fact that hours were granted for a person but have not come into effect and that this person will be entering fourth class in September 2005 and is unable to read; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1948/05]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that my Department is proposing a new system for the allocation of resource teaching supports to pupils with special educational needs, SEN. This system will involve a general teaching allocation for all primary schools to cater for pupils with higher incidence SEN, that is, those with borderline mild and mild general learning disability, specific learning disability and also those with learning support needs. An additional 350 teacher posts are being provided to facilitate the introduction of the new system. It will also allow for individual allocations in respect of pupils with lower incidence SEN.
I am conscious of difficulties that could arise in relation to this model, particularly for children in small and rural schools, if it were implemented as currently proposed. Accordingly, I am having the proposed model reviewed to ensure that it provides an automatic response for pupils with common mild learning disabilities, without the need for cumbersome individual applications, 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 review will involve consultation with representative interests and the National Council for Special Education before it is implemented in the next school year.
The pupil referred to by the Deputy comes within the higher incidence SEN category. It would be expected that the pupil's SEN can be met from within the current resource learning support teaching allocation available to the school. The school currently has the services of a learning support teacher together with the services of a resource teacher. The deployment of these resources is a matter for the school concerned.
