Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 February 2005
192 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science the number and location of secondary schools in County Kildare in respect of which submissions have been made setting out requirements in respect of psychological assessment, remedial, resource or other special needs teachers; the extent to which these needs are being met or likely to be met in the current year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3292/05]
View answerRequests for a psychological service are frequently received in the National Educational Psychological Service. For schools with access to NEPS, the practice is for the school psychologist and relevant school staff to discuss their needs for the school year and to agree what can be done in the light of the time available. All second level schools in the free education scheme have had an entitlement to an ex-quota allocation for remedial education since the beginning of the 1990-2000 school year. The general position is that schools with enrolments of 600 or more pupils are allocated a full post while schools with enrolments below 600 pupils are allocated 0.5 of a post.
The National Council for Special Education has recently been established as an independent statutory body with responsibilities as set out in the National Council for Special Education (Establishment) Order 2003. With effect from 1 January 2005, the NCSE through local special educational needs organisers will process resource applications for children with special educational needs. The information requested on such applications is therefore not readily available within my Department. I am confident that the advent of the National Council for Special Education will prove of major benefit in ensuring that all children with special educational needs receive the support they require when and where they require it.
193 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science the number and location of primary schools in County Kildare in respect of which submissions have been made setting out requirements in respect of psychological assessment, remedial, resource or other special needs teachers; the extent to which these needs are being met or likely to be met in the current year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3293/05]
View answerRequests for a psychological service are frequently received in the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS. The practice in schools with access to NEPS is for the school psychologist and relevant school staff to discuss their needs for the school year and agree what can be done in the time available.
The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, took over responsibility for processing resource applications for children with disabilities who have special educational needs on 1 January 2005 and, in particular, it is responsible deciding on applications for resource teaching hours in respect of children with low incidence disabilities with special educational needs at primary level; deciding on applications for additional teaching support in respect of children with disabilities with special educational needs at second level; and deciding on applications for special needs assistant hours.
Under the new arrangements, the council, through the local special educational needs organiser, SENO, will process the relevant application for resources and inform the school of the outcome. The SENO will outline the process to the school and parents, where appropriate, and will at the end of the process outline the basis on which the decision on resource teaching and SNAs was made. The information requested by the Deputy is not available for these reasons.
I am, however, satisfied that the establishment of the NCSE will greatly enhance the provision of services to children with special educational needs and result in a timely response to schools who have made application for SEN supports. The local service delivery aspect of the council's operation through the SENOs will provide a focal point of contact for parents-guardians and schools and I am confident this will result in a much improved service for all.
Learning support is not allocated on the basis of applications in respect of individual pupils. Accordingly, the information sought by the Deputy is not available. In general, schools are advised to consult the learning support guidelines which have issued from my Department. The Deputy will be aware of the new system for resource teacher allocation which involves a general allocation for all primary schools to cater for pupils with higher incidence special educational needs — borderline mild and mild general learning disability and specific learning disability. This system also applies to those with learning support needs, that is, functioning at or below the 10th percentile on a standardised test of reading and-or mathematics. An additional 350 teacher posts are being provided to facilitate the introduction of the new system.
I am conscious of difficulties that could arise regarding to the particular allocation under the expected proposed model for children in small and rural schools, if it were implemented as currently proposed. Accordingly, my Department is reviewing the proposal to ensure it provides an automatic response for pupils with common higher incidence special educational needs. The review involves consultation with educational interests and the NCSE before it is implemented in September 2005.
In addition, all schools may continue to apply for separate specific allocations in respect of pupils with lower incidence disabilities. The following special needs provision at primary level in County Kildare has been sanctioned by my Department to cater for the special educational needs of pupils: nine special classes for pupils with autism at a pupil-teacher ratio of 6:1; six special classes for pupils with mild general learning disabilities at a pupil teacher ratio of 11:1; and one special class for pupils with moderate general learning disabilities at a pupil teacher ratio of 8:1. In addition to these special classes, three special schools in operation in the Kildare area cater for approximately 157 pupils with special needs with a pupil-teacher ratio ranging from 6:1 to 11:1.
My Department also provides funding for the Saplings project, a facility sanctioned on a pilot basis, which uses applied behavioural analysis methodologies for children with autism. Approximately 30 children are enrolled in the facility.
