Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 6 Nov 1997

Vol. 482 No. 5

Written Answers - Remedial Services.

Richard Bruton

Ceist:

141 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the possibility of developing a central resource to provide back-up and liaison for remedial teachers, particularly those who service a number of schools. [18406/97]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

Remedial teachers have access to the back-up support of the teaching staffs and principals of the schools in which they serve. They also have access to the support of my Department's Inspectorate and of the school psychological service to assist them in any areas of difficulty which they encounter in the course of their work.

To the extent that additional resources become available for the development of remedial services, my priority at this stage would be to target such resources on extending the service to areas which currently have no remedial service.

An initial survey of the remedial service by my Department's Inspectorate demonstrated a need to reorganise existing provision to achieve a more effective targeting of resources. It also identified a need to place much greater emphasis on preventative strategies in schools, including early identification strategies and differentiated teaching.

In order to address these matters, my Department in consultation with the education partners, is currently undertaking a thorough remedial education study. The study is focusing on: number of pupils receiving a remedial service; the criteria for inclusion in and withdrawal from remedial classes; the organisation of remedial teaching in schools; the development and implementation of policy on remedal teaching in schools and record keeping and reporting.

The outcome of the study will be of value in the context of the future development of the remedial service.