Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 January 2016
748. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills on behalf of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry, if the new model for allocating resource teachers to special education needs schools could affect the resources of other schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46505/15]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory role under the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs Act to provide me with policy advice in relation to matters concerning the education of persons with special educational needs.
The NCSE published policy advice in 2013 which identified that the current model for allocating resource teachers to schools is potentially inequitable and recommended the development of a new allocation model.
In developing its policy advice the NCSE consulted widely with education partners, representatives from the school sector, parents, and disability representative bodies.
The NCSE recommended that a new model based on the profiled needs of each school, rather than on the diagnosed disability of individual children be developed. It is intended that this new model will reduce the inequities in the current system, and also ensure that we are not unnecessarily labelling children from a young age.
Although there was widespread support for the implementation of the new model, there was not time to address all of the issues in relation to the proposed new model in time to allow for it to be implemented this year.
I therefore established a pilot of the new model, which is currently underway in 47 schools, and which will run for the duration of the current school year.
The pilot will test the practical impacts of the new model prior to full implementation. It will also review the experiences of the schools who participated in the pilot, which will assist us further in developing the model.
I can also confirm that consultation will continue to take place with education partners and stakeholders prior to the implementation of any new model.
As the new model has yet to be completed it is not possible to predict the impact, if any, it will have on staffing levels in all schools including the school to which the deputy has referred.
