Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2017
261. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the National Behaviour Support Service removed 50% of funding support for a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13006/17]
View answerMy Department allocates 75 Behaviour for Learning Programme posts to schools through the National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS). The NBSS Behaviour for Learning Programme explore ways in which an individual teacher can develop a school ‘Behaviour for Learning Programme’ specifically targeted at students in need of intensive individualised intervention. The allocation under the Behaviour for Learning Programme is granted to schools on a yearly basis.
Over the past 4 years the NBSS has gradually reduced the number of schools with 2 teachers under the Behaviour for Learning Programme to allow for the granting of a Behaviour for Learning Programme teaching post to a greater number of schools.
NBSS began partnering the school, to which the Deputy refers, in the area of behaviour support in the 2008-2009 school year and in the 2010-2011 the school was allocated 2 Behaviour for Learning Programme teachers. The possible reduction in the Behaviour for Learning Programme allocation for 2017-2018 was first conveyed to school management in 2014. This allocation is being reduced to one teacher from the start of the 2017-2018 school year to allow another school with a similar profile and with similar student behaviour difficulties to benefit from the intensive, individualised support which the Behaviour for Learning Programme provides for their students.
Like all schools with Behaviour for Learning Programme Teachers, the school in question continues to have access to all student and teacher interventions and programmes under the NBSS behaviour in-school curricular framework including the support of an NBSS Regional Development Officer.
