Thank you for your correspondence in relation to resources and supports available to pupils with dyslexia.
The Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools, which have enrolled pupils with special educational needs, including pupils with Specific Learning Disability (SLD); of which Dyslexia is one such SLD, in order to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which is a separate statutory agency, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for the provision of special educational needs supports to schools. The NCSE operates within the Department's criteria in allocating such support
All Primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to cater for children with special educational needs, including pupils with dyslexia. In September 2017 the Department introduced a new model to support pupils with special educational needs in our schools. The new model differs significantly from the old Resource Allocation Model, in that Special Education Teacher allocation is now frontloaded into schools to support children with special educational needs. Rather than having to make individual application to the NCSE for additional supports schools can now respond to individual needs in a flexible way and pupils do not have to have a psychological assessment, or a diagnosis of a disability, in order to access Special Education Teaching. This means that those with highest level of need can access the highest level of support within the school in a timely manner.
Guidelines for schools on the organisation, deployment and use of their special education teachers have been published on Gov.ie at www.gov.ie/en/publication/56c43-supporting-pupils-and-students-with-special-educational-needs-guidelines-for-schools/ Schools are supported in this regard by the National Educational Psychological Services.
Educational Psychologists from the Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) work with schools using a problem solving model to help schools identify need and interventions to support those needs. Under the new model, NEPS encourages schools to use a continuum based assessment and intervention process whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention for pupils with learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Teachers may consult their NEPS psychologist should they wish to for advice. Only in the event of a failure to make reasonable progress, in spite of the school's best efforts in consultation with NEPS, will the psychologist become involved with an individual child for intensive intervention or assessment.
This system is in line with international best practice and allows psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological assessment and have equality of access to support prioritised on their individual needs.
NEPS understands dyslexia in the context the severity and persistence of an individual’s needs over time and their response to intervention. This approach aligns with the new Special Educational model in schools which focuses on the identification of need and the matching of specific interventions to that need. Specific interventions are therefore tailored, by the school, to the individual’s observed needs by the school, rather than being generic to a specific difficulty or disability.
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 the 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.
The Department also provides for special schools and special class placements where more intensive and supportive interventions are provided. Special classes attached to mainstream primary schools also support the needs of pupils with dyslexia. Such classes have a reduced pupil/teacher ratio of 9:1 and an increased level of capitation grant. The pupils who attend these classes have, following psychological assessment, been identified as having a specific learning disability. The NCSE continues to monitor and review the requirement for special class places in particular areas.
The Department has no role in relation to processing applications for enrolment to those schools; the enrolment of a child in a school is a matter in the first instance for the parents of the child and the Board of Management of a school.
Funding is available to schools under the assistive technology scheme for the purchase of specialised equipment such as computers and/or software to assist children with special educational needs, including children with dyslexia. In order to qualify for equipment under the scheme, a child must have been diagnosed with a physical or communicative disability and must also have a recommendation in a professional assessment that the equipment is essential in order to allow the child to access the curriculum. It must also be clear that the existing I.T. equipment in the school is insufficient to meet the child's needs. Equipment may only be provided where medical and/or other professional reports outline that the degree of communicative disability is such that this equipment is essential to allow the pupil to access education and set out how the equipment will provide for this. An assessment indicating that equipment would achieve improvement in performance is not sufficient since this could be true in the case of any child.
In order for a grant for assistive technology to be made available for a pupil diagnosed with dyslexia, the pupil must have a degree of learning disability specific to basic skills in reading, writing or mathematics which places them at or below the 2nd percentile on suitable, standardised, norm-referenced tests.
Schools apply to the NCSE, through their local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) for such support. SENOs make recommendations to the Department where assistive technology is required, in accordance with the criteria set out in the Department's Circular 0010/2013. 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 at ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list
Resources provided to schools also include additional training for teachers who support children with Dyslexia, through the Special Education Support Service (SESS).
The Special Education Support Service (SESS) is part of the NCSE’s Support Service, along with the National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) and the Visiting Teacher Service for children who are deaf/hard of hearing and for children who are blind/visually impaired (VTSVHI).
The Support Service provides advice and support to schools on the education and inclusion of students with special educational needs, providing in-school support for teachers and continuing professional development for teachers with additional training needs in the area of Dyslexia. The Support Service continues to update current Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses for teachers and design new CPD courses in response to the needs of teachers.
The Department, in association with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland, developed an information resource pack on dyslexia in CD-Rom, DVD and video format. This product was 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 for pupils with dyslexia include reasonable accommodations in State Examinations such as the provision of a reader, use of a tape recorder or scribe, or a spelling and grammar waiver; further details are available on the State Examinations Commission website at www.examinations.ie/schools/circulars/reasonable-accommodations/.
Within the Further Education and Training Sector, a broad range of supports are provided through the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) to support the participation of learners with a disability, including learners with dyslexia. As well as general adult literacy support, specific supports provided for persons with dyslexia can include:
- Access to tutors with specific expertise in the area of dyslexia
- Additional 1:1 tutor support, where necessary
- Adaptive technologies such as screen reading software
- Provision of a reader or interpreter service
- Provision of a reader or scribe or extra time during examinations
- Provision of preferred learning-style identification and 'learning to learn' programmes that have particular emphasis on memory and organisational skills.
In addition, learners participating in PLC programmes can apply to the HEA “Fund for Students with Disabilities”. It allocates funding to Further and Higher Education Colleges for the provision of services and supports to full-time students with disabilities. The Fund aims to ensure that students can participate fully in their academic programmes and are not disadvantaged by reason of a disability. PLC providers have the opportunity to apply to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on an annual basis for funding to provide services to learners with disabilities. It was reported that this funding allowed for provision of one-to-one tutorial support for learners with dyslexia attending PLC programmes.
The Department also provides funding to the Dyslexia Association of Ireland at national level which helps the organisation operate an information service for members and the public as well as assisting in meeting the costs associated with the attendance of some children from disadvantaged backgrounds at workshops and programmes organised by the association. Funding is also provided to enable the Dyslexia Association to provide services and supports to people with dyslexia to access further education and training.
Dyslexia Association of Ireland activities in the Further Education and Training Sector include:
- Development and delivery of expanded CPD training on assessing needs in the FET Sector
- Piloting ‘brief-assessment’ model for improved access to dyslexia identification services
- Providing daily specialist literacy and numeracy tuition to learners on Career Paths courses
- Facilitating learner progression to education and the workplace through specialist support and training
- Providing a specialist information service on adult dyslexia, including helpline, drop in service and information seminars
- Working with the FET Sector, employers and policy makers to drive policy and new initiatives for learners with dyslexia.
In addition, resources available for adult literacy and numeracy providers include policy Guidelines for Specific Learning Difficulties ‘Keys for Learning’ www.nala.ie
The Department, through the Higher Education Authority (HEA), provides financial support through the Fund for Students with a Disability (FSD) to higher education institutions to ensure that they are adequately resourced to cater for the needs of students with disabilities. This Fund provides grants towards the individual needs assessment, provision of services, purchase of equipment and provision of academic supports for students with disabilities. The scheme applies to students who have serious sensory, physical and/or communicative disabilities, including dyslexia.
The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) offers places at reduced points to school leavers with disabilities. Admissions under the DARE scheme is regulated by the institutions themselves. Each higher institution determines its own admission policy in relation to DARE, the number of places they reserve for DARE and the allocation of those places.
The Department encourages parents and school authorities to engage locally regarding pupils' education. Should a parent be dissatisfied with the manner in which supports have been provided to support their child's education they should raise this matter directly with their school Principal or the Board of Management of the school. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's present or future educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
I hope this information is of assistance to you.
