asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will allocate additional guidance counselling and remedial education hours to a school (details supplied) in County Cork. [13593/02]
Written Answers. - Special Educational Needs.
365.
All second level schools in the free education scheme have an entitlement to an ex-quota allocation in respect of remedial education. The allocation to an individual school for a particular school year is determined by the enrolment at the end of the preceding September. Schools with an enrolment of 600 or more are entitled to a full post and those with an enrolment below 600 are entitled to the equivalent of one half of a post for remedial education.
My Department also makes a specific ex-quota allocation of teaching posts in respect of guidance in second level schools. The allocation ranges from 0.36 of a post – eight hours per week – in schools in the free education scheme with an enrolment of less than 200 pupils to two posts in the case of schools with an enrolment of 1,000 pupils or more.
With regard to the school referred to by the Deputy, the enrolment warrants an allocation of 0.5 of a post in respect of remedial education and 0.5 of a post in respect of guidance and provision for this has been made in the approved teacher allocation for the school for the 2002-03 school year.
The question of allocating additional resources to second level schools in respect of remedial education and guidance will be considered in the context of available resources and having regard to the recommendations of the expert group on the allocation of teachers to second level schools.