Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 July 2015
640. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students in primary, secondary and third level education who have dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29568/15]
View answer641. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that her Department provides to students with dyslexia at primary and secondary levels; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29569/15]
View answer642. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills the annual amount spent by her Department in supporting students with dyslexia in the education system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29570/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 640 to 642, inclusive, together. I wish to advise the Deputy that all schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including Specific Learning Disability (SLD), of which dyslexia is one such Specific Learning Disability. All mainstream Primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including SLDs. It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgement to identify pupils who will receive this support and to use the resources available to the school to intervene at the appropriate level with such pupils. Schools are supported in this regard by the National Educational Psychological Services. All Post Primary schools have also been allocated additional teaching resources for pupils with high incidence special educational needs, including SLDs. As the allocation of support for pupils with SLDs is managed locally by schools, my Department does not hold details of the number of students with dyslexia receiving support locally, as schools are not required to apply directly to my Department for learning support for Specific Learning Disabilities such as dyslexia. Similarly, it is not possible to provide information sought regarding expenditure in this area. I can advise, however, that the recently published National Council for Special Education (NCSE) report on Supporting Students Special Educational Needs in Schools sets out that 0.5% of the student population in Ireland is estimated to have a SLD. I can also advise that my Department provides guidelines for schools in relation to the utilisation of additional teaching resources which have been allocated to them for pupils with high incidence special educational needs. These include Circular SpEd 02/05, Inclusion of Pupils with Special Educational Needs Post Primary Guidelines and the National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS) Continuum of Support Guidelines. My Department provides funding for a number of special schools and special classes attached to mainstream primary schools which have been sanctioned to meet the needs of children with SLDs. There are 4 Special Schools and 12 Special Classes attached to mainstream Primary schools catering for pupils with SLD. An information resource pack on dyslexia in CD-ROM, DVD and video format, has been developed by my Department in association with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. This product has been made available to all primary and post-primary schools. The DVD and video provides support for parents of pupils with dyslexia while the CD-ROM assists teachers who are teaching children with dyslexia in the mainstream classroom. Further resources provided to schools to support pupils with dyslexia include special arrangements at state exams, funding towards the purchase of specialised equipment such as computers and/or software as well as additional training for teachers who support children with Dyslexia, through the Special Education Support Service (SESS). Finally, I wish to advise the Deputy that the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) provides additional funding to both further and higher education institutions for the provision of services and supports for full-time students with disabilities. The National Access Office has advised my Department that 4,606 students with SLDs were supported by the FSD in 2013/14.
