Vol. 528 No. 1
422 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Education and Science his Department's guidelines regarding entitlement by a national school to a full-time learning support teacher; and when he will sanction a full-time support teacher for St. Patrick's Boys' National School, Donabate, County Dublin. [29621/00]
The Special Education Review Committee report recommended the provision of supplementary remedial teaching support to all pupils at first level, who score at or below the tenth percentile on standardised tests of basic literacy or numeracy or who perform at an equivalent level.
In September 1999 the remedial teaching service was extended to all primary schools with a pupil teacher ratio of 10:1 or above. Schools with lower pupil teacher ratios were advised that they could seek a remedial service if they could demonstrate a need for such a service.
My Department sanctioned the appointment of 148 full-time remedial teacher posts and 27 part-time posts in the 1999/2000 school year. A further 15 full-time remedial teacher posts were sanctioned in the current school year.
Learning-support guidelines published by my Department earlier this year, recommend that the learning-support teacher would be engaged in providing supplementary teaching to approximately 30 pupils.
The school referred to by the Deputy has the services of a shared learning support teacher, the post is based in the school in question.
