Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 March 2015
761. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an extra teacher and additional resources to cater for the special educational needs of children attending a national school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11212/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the General Allocation Model (GAM), which provides additional resource teaching, learning support, and English Additional Language support for all primary schools, is now updated annually based on the number of mainstream teaching posts in each school and in order to take account of updated enrolments.
Details of the GAM allocation process, and of GAM allocations for each school for the coming 2015/16 school year, are set out in DES Circular 05/2015, which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.
Since the 2012/13 school year, all Traveller pupils who had previously been supported by Resource Teacher for Traveller (RTT) posts are now included in the enrolments which are counted for GAM allocation purposes.
Traveller pupils who are eligible for learning support teaching now receive this tuition through the existing learning support provision in schools.
Limited alleviation measures were also put in place to assist schools who had high concentrations of Traveller pupils previously supported by Resource Teacher for Traveller posts/hours, in the context of the limited resources available.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) also 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.
Schools have been asked to apply to the NCSE for Resource Teaching support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March, 2015. Following consideration of all applications for resource teaching support, the NCSE will make allocations to qualifying schools. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO.
Although the application date of 18th March, 2015 has now passed, schools who wish to make applications to the NCSE for additional resources to cater for children who have been assessed as having low incidence special educational needs, should submit such applications to the NCSE.
