Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2015
492. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if extra resource teaching hours might be made available in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Kildare to meet the requirements of a child who has special educational needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9061/15]
View answerAll primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to provide for children with special educational or learning support needs through general allocation processes.
Additionally, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates additional resource teaching hours to schools for children who have been assessed within the low incidence, or more complex, category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.
The Deputy will be aware that I announced recently that I am not proposing to change the way teachers are allocated to schools for children with Special Educational Needs for the coming school year.
As such, primary schools will continue to have an allocation of additional learning support for children with high incidence special educational needs through the General Allocation Model. In respect of children with low incidence special educational needs, schools have been asked to apply to the NCSE for Resource Teaching support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March, 2015.
Schools should provide support for pupils with newly diagnosed conditions from within their overall resource teaching and learning support allocations, pending completion of the 2015/16 allocation process. It is a matter for schools to monitor and utilise their allocation of additional teaching support to best support the needs of identified pupils, in accordance with my Department's guidance.
All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
