I can confirm that a number of applications for resource teaching support were received from the school referred to by the Deputy. The school authorities were informed recently of the outcome of some of the applications and will be notified of the outcome in relation to the remaining applications as soon as they become available. The school was advised of its teacher allocation under the new weighted system on 24 June 2004.
An additional 350 teacher posts are being provided to facilitate the introduction of the new system. This system will involve a general weighted allocation for all primary schools to cater for pupils with higher-incidence special educational needs, SEN, that is, those with borderline mild and mild general learning disability and specific learning disability, as well as those with learning support needs. In addition, it will continue to allow for individual allocations in respect of pupils with lower-incidence special educational needs.
The weighted system 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.
The weighted allocation will enable teaching support to be provided to pupils with higher-incidence SEN and learning support needs. This will obviate the need for schools to submit individual applications for pupils in those categories. Schools may continue to apply for specific teacher allocations in respect of pupils with lower-incidence SEN.
My Department now proposes to devise school 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. In order to facilitate the full introduction of the weighted model from the school year 2005-06, my Department has agreed not to redeploy surplus teachers from full-time posts via the panel redeployment process during the current school year. Schools have been informed, also, that they may retain excess part-time teaching hours to the extent that such hours are required for children with low-incidence SEN.
The school appears to have excess resource hours under the weighted model of resource allocation. Schools were advised in a recent circular, SP ED 13/04, that they may retain any excess resource hours for the current school-year. However, any additional hours required for children with lower-incidence special educational needs, up to the level of the identified excess should be met from this excess. Only then may additional resource teaching hours be recruited.
With regard to the school's applications for special needs assistant support, my Department prioritised applications for SNA support for new entrants and decisions on the majority of these were communicated to schools on 12 August. My officials are continuing to communicate with schools in respect of other new entrant cases as additional supporting information is provided.