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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 2 Oct 2003

Vol. 571 No. 3

Ceisteanna – Questions. - Special Educational Needs.

Jan O'Sullivan

Ceist:

5 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the concerns expressed by some teachers and parents that the application of circular SP ED 24/03 regarding children with special needs will result in an effective cut in the level of assistance available for some pupils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21705/03]

I assure teachers and parents that the basic purposes of circular 24/03 are to ensure that applications for resource teacher and special needs assistant support are processed as efficiently as possible and to ensure that such resources are targeted to best effect on an ongoing basis.

Priority has been given to the 780 applications in respect of new entrant children. Following a review of the supporting documentation submitted, the applicant schools have been given allocations where appropriate. The allocations have been given on a temporary basis initially, pending an examination in due course of the level of resources already made available to the schools. The remaining 4,700 applications will be processed by a dedicated team of inspectors and psychologists. Every effort will be made to issue a response as early as possible during the current school year. A census of pupils in primary schools with special educational needs and associated resources is being conducted. The data will enable the team to consider the applications in the context of the existing level of resources available to each school.

Significant additional resources have been allocated to schools since 1999 when an automatic response to support pupils with special educational needs was introduced. Over 2,300 resource teachers and almost 5,500 full and part-time special needs assistants have been employed. The number of learning support teachers now stands at 1,531, which means that a learning support service can be accessed by every primary school pupil in the country. I am determined to ensure that this considerable investment is deployed as effectively and flexibly as possible.

The circular highlights a number of practical strategies with that aim in mind, geared at assisting schools with existing resource allocations. If possible, schools should provide additional help for pupils with special educational needs in the mainstream classroom or, if necessary, in small groups. Schools are encouraged to develop strategies that draw on the skills of all such teachers without making artificial distinctions between them, bearing in mind the various categories of special education teachers deployed in the education system, including resource, learning support and visiting teachers. While resource teacher allocations have been approved on the basis of individual applications, the overriding principle is that resources should be deployed in the manner that best meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs. Before applying for additional special needs assistants, schools should review their existing allocations to see whether an identified need can be met by redeploying available resources. Where appropriate, principals may deploy individual special needs assistants to support several pupils, perhaps in more than one classroom.

I emphasise that circular 24/03 does not propose a cut in resources for pupils with special educational needs. Schools will appreciate that the level of approved resources is not immutable, however, as account must be taken of the progress of individual pupils with special educational needs and of the departure from the school of such pupils. It is expected that schools will notify the Department of instances where resources have become surplus to requirements so they can be redeployed as necessary. The purpose of circular 24/03 is to provide clarity regarding special needs resource allocation. It also encourages schools to deploy resources in a flexible manner.

Is the Minister aware of the dismay in schools because of the delay in providing the resources needed by children in the school system? There are particular problems when children transfer from primary to secondary level. Does the Minister agree with the disability groups that claim that this is, in effect, a significant cut in the learning supports available to children with special educational needs? Does the Minister agree that this decision flies in the face of the provisions of the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2003, which has a child centred approach? The application of the circular seems to represent a move in the opposite direction and not a focus on the needs of the individual child.

I am aware of, and I very much regret, the delay in the allocation of resources for special needs pupils. The Depart ment made a great effort over the summer to try to streamline the system for that reason and this circular is a further attempt in that regard. It is regrettable that we were not in a position to have special needs assistants in place at the beginning of the year. That is why we focused on children who were going into school for the first time. A level of resources exists in schools at present because special needs assistants were employed some time ago for pupils who have since passed through the system and those special needs assistants have remained in the schools. We must ensure that we put a system in place so that it will be known very early if a child who has special needs is attending school, whether primary or secondary, and facilities can be made available for him or her. That is why we are trying to streamline the system.

Given the figures I have quoted, it is nonsense to say there has been a cut. This area has grown exponentially. Approximately 11,000 adults are catering for special needs in the schools system. Between teachers, resource teachers and capital funding we have been spending approximately €300 million per year on special needs. I do not accept that there has been a cut or that we are flying in the face of the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill. We are trying to ensure that those who have genuine needs have those needs met efficiently, effectively, quickly and as early as possible so that they can make the necessary arrangements. That is all that is involved in this.

I do not want a continuation of the current system where parents must wait so long to know what facilities their child will get in school. I know the Deputy does not want it and neither do the groups representing people with disabilities or the parents of children with special needs. I want to move from that. Part of the purpose of circular SP ED 24/03 is to get to an acceptable situation. Some pain will be involved in doing this while also processing applications. I have no doubt that will cause some difficulties for parents but the end result, a good streamlined system where these needs can be met efficiently and well, is worth fighting for.

Surely there has been a cut if one has to have a higher level of disability to qualify for a one-to-one assistant. Will the Minister comment on that?

There has been no change in the regulations. In the past the regulations have not been applied at the appropriate level. There has been no change in the criteria for eligibility for special needs assistants in schools.

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