Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 September 2010
388 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the full requirement of special needs teachers and special needs assistants as indicated to her Department by the various representative groups in 2010; the extent to which she intends to respond positively in the short to medium term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34015/10]
Amharc ar fhreagra389 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the total requirement in respect of special needs assistants as set out by the various school authorities and or parents as conveyed to her Department; her proposals or intentions, if any, to meet these requirements with a view to ensuring that children may not be permanently disadvantaged due to lack of adequate facilities in their early years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34016/10]
Amharc ar fhreagra390 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of children currently requiring remedial, resource or special needs teaching; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34017/10]
Amharc ar fhreagra391 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the total number of special needs teachers currently employed; the number required having regard to submissions made by the various school authorities; her intentions or proposals to meet such requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34018/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 388 to 391, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.
The NCSE is an independent agency with responsibility for determining the appropriate staffing levels in relation to the support of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream and special schools. Additional teaching and SNA supports are allocated as necessary by the NCSE in line with my Department's policy to support children with special educational needs. Schools, which have enrolled pupils with special educational needs that are eligible for such support, apply to the NCSE for the allocation of the necessary resources. The NCSE has outlined the processes involved in the consideration of applications for special needs supports in its Circular 01/05 which is available on www.ncse.ie.
Such resources are allocated by the NCSE, in accordance with my Departments policy, on a demand driven basis. Therefore, schools which have enrolled students who qualify for additional special educational support are not denied such resources due to any overall budgetary or staffing number ceiling. In addition to resource teaching support, each school has access to learning support. My Department does not retain information on the numbers of children who require learning support, resource or special needs teaching. There are currently over 9,000 resource and learning support teachers employed in mainstream schools, over 500 teachers in special classes and over 1,100 special school teachers.
In total there are over 20,000 staff in our schools working solely with children with special needs, including approximately 10,000 Special Needs Assistants — compared with just 300 in 1997.
This commitment reflects my Departments policy in relation to providing for a continuum of educational provision that promotes the maximum level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, within their locality, or where necessary to support students in special classes or schools. As well as this significant increase in the numbers of additional teachers and SNAs directly providing appropriate education and care supports for children with special educational needs, much investment has taken place in the provision of transport, specialist school accommodation, assistive technology and specialist equipment.
I want to take this opportunity to emphasise that priority will continue to be given to provision for children with special educational needs. Significant progress has been achieved in recent years, which has seen a huge increase in resources for pupil's with special educational needs. The NCSE will continue to support schools, parents, children and teachers. Along with all other areas of expenditure, provision is dependent on the resources available to the Government.
