Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 21 Nov 2000

Vol. 526 No. 3

Written Answers. - Special Educational Needs.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

150 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that schools need far greater resources than are available to provide for pupils enrolling with special needs from the point of view of teaching requirements and from the point of view of physical alterations to buildings, such as toilet facilities, ramps and wider doors and so on; and the plans he has to ensure that schools are adequately resourced to meet the needs of all pupils, regardless of disabilities. [26224/00]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

I am committed to ensuring that all schools catering for children with special needs receive the support they require to enable them to meet the needs of the children in question.

As far as the provision of teaching and other staffing resources is concerned, the reality is that this Government has undertaken an unprecedented level of development in special education services.

Arising from a Government decision of October 1998 all children with special needs within the primary system now have an automatic entitlement to a response to their needs, irrespective of the level of need involved. Already, as a result of this development, the number of resource teachers deployed to support children with special needs in integrated settings in primary schools has increased from 104 to more than 560. Also, over the same period, the number of special needs assistants allocated to schools to help children with special needs has grown from 299 to more than 1,400. My Department is continuing to expand these services in response to identified needs.

In addition, the pupil teacher ratios and special needs assistant support levels applicable in all special schools and special classes catering for children with special needs have been reduced to the levels recommended by the special education review committee. Pupils attending such facilities also attract significantly increased rates of capitation funding.

Also, since September 1999 the remedial teacher service has been extended to every first and second level school in the country with a pupil teacher ratio of 10:1 or above. Schools with lower ratios are free to seek access to the service where they can demonstrate a need for such support.

Schools catering for children with special needs also have access to funding for the purchase of specialised equipment required to assist in the education of the children. In the current year a sum of £1,345,000 has been provided to fund such equipment.

It is the policy of my Department to provide all new schools with access facilities and special toilets to cater for disabled students. In the architectural design of emergency evacuation routes, account is also taken of the requirements of students with disabilities. New schools of two or more stories are provided with lifts. The school authorities are advised of accessibility requirements by my Department and the relevant design teams during the architectural planning process.

Established schools which make applications for grant aid towards the provision of access and other facilities for the physically disabled, such as those mentioned by the Deputy, are also grant aided by my Department from the capital allocations for primary and post primary buildings. Primary schools may also use the funds available under the grant scheme for minor works to school properties to carry out minor infrastructural adaptations to cater for disabled pupils.

It is my intention to continue to build on the above development and to ensure that all schools catering for children with special needs are given the support they require to carry out this very important role.