Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 October 2015
576. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills when resource hours will be provided to a child (details supplied) in County Cavan, given the child's entitlement to same and given that the school year has already started; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36177/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that, in primary schools, additional teaching supports for pupils with special education needs are provided through two channels.
Under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, schools are resourced to cater for pupils whose educational psychological assessment places them in the high incidence, or less complex, disability category. All mainstream Primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources under the GAM to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs. Separately, 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.
All schools were asked to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March, 2015.
Details of resource teaching allocations which have been made to schools is available on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie. The NCSE is also currently completing its second round allocation process to respond to late enrolments, or from diagnosed disabilities emerging after the closing date for the first allocation round, to the start of the new school year.
In circumstances where a school may have an application for resource teaching support pending on behalf on an individual child, learning support or resource teaching support can still be provided for that child from a school's general allocation of resource teaching/learning support provision, taking into account the needs of the child.
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. The teaching time afforded to each individual pupil is decided and managed by schools, taking into account each child's individual learning needs.
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.
