Up to October 1998, my Department's capacity to respond to individual children with special needs was limited. This changed with a Government decision in October 1998, whereby children assessed as having special educational needs in primary schools have an automatic entitlement to a response to their needs. Since this automatic entitlement to support was introduced, the number of resource teachers in the primary system has increased from approximately 100 to in excess of 2,300 and the number of special needs assistants has grown from approximately 300 to almost 5,500 full and part-time posts.
I am determined to ensure that this considerable investment is deployed as effectively and flexibly as possible. With that aim in mind, a detailed circular 24/03, has recently issued to all schools dealing with the allocation of resources for pupils with special educational needs in national schools. The basic purpose of this circular is twofold: to ensure that applications for resource teacher and special needs assistant support are processed as efficiently as possible; and that such resources are targeted to best effect on an on-going basis.