Special Educational Needs.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 July 2004

Tuesday, 6 July 2004

Ceisteanna (215, 216)

Jerry Cowley

Ceist:

247 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has been refused resource teaching. [20022/04]

Michael Ring

Ceist:

266 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo can expect to receive resource teaching hours; and when they can receive the learning support they need in the school. [20197/04]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 247 and 266 together.

I can confirm that my Department recently responded to the application for special needs teaching support for the pupil in question. Based on the documentation received from the school, this child did not qualify for special needs teaching support under the terms of my Department's circular 08/02. However, I can confirm that additional correspondence has been received from the school in question in recent days in support of the application. It is envisaged that the case will be reviewed in the context of this additional correspondence.

My Department has developed a new weighted system for the allocation of teaching supports to pupils with special needs. An additional 350 teacher posts are being provided to facilitate the introduction of the new system. The new system will involve a general weighted allocation for all primary schools to cater for pupils with higher incidence special educational needs, for example, those with borderline mild and mild general learning disability, specific learning disability, and also those with learning support needs. It will also allow for individual allocations in respect of pupils with lower incidence special educational needs. The weighted allocation will be made as follows: in the most disadvantaged schools as per the urban dimension of Giving Children an Even Break, a teacher of pupils with special educational needs will be allocated for every 80 pupils to cater for the subset of pupils with higher incidence special needs; in all boys schools, the ratio will be one teacher for every 140 pupils; in mixed schools, or all girls schools with an enrolment of greater than 30% boys, one for every 150 pupils; and in all girls schools including schools with mixed junior classes but with 30% or less boys overall, one for every 200 pupils. It is intended that the details of the new model will be set out in a comprehensive circular to issue to schools for the commencement of the new school year. The weighted allocation will enable teaching support to be provided to pupils with higher incidence special educational needs and this will obviate the need for schools to submit individual applications for pupils in the higher incidence categories.

Schools may continue to apply for specific teacher allocations in respect of pupils with lower incidence disabilities. My Department now proposes to devise clusters in respect of allocations to be made under the weighted model. Sanction for the filling of posts will be considered in the context of these clusters and the weighted arrangements. The Department will communicate with schools in this regard before the commencement of the coming school year.