Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 November 2013
238. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the exemptions available to school-children who have been diagnosed with dyscalculia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50578/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. The policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, or where a special school or special class placement may be required to ensure such placements are provided for.
All schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including Specific Learning Disability (SLD), of which dyscalculia is one such Specific Learning Disability. All mainstream Primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including SLDs. It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgement to identify pupils who will receive this support and to use the resources available to the school to intervene at the appropriate level with such pupils. Schools are supported in this regard by the National Educational Psychological Services. All Post Primary schools have also been allocated additional teaching resources for pupils with high incidence special educational needs, including SLDs.
I wish to advise the Deputy that the 1998 Education Act requires Boards of Management of each school to publish the policy of the school relating to participation by students with special educational needs. The measures schools take in this regard are required to be stated in the school plan. It is the duty of the Board of Management to ensure that appropriate education services are made available to such students. I can also advise the Deputy that students with special educational needs may apply for exemptions from Irish in accordance with the specified criteria provided under my Departments Circular 12/96 for primary schools and Circular M10/94 for post-primary schools. However, for the most part, pupils with special educational needs are accommodated in schools through curriculum differentiation, as opposed to specific subject exemption.
Schools at both primary and second level use strategies such as curriculum differentiation, curriculum enrichment and acceleration to facilitate the development of pupils with special needs. Syllabi and curricula for second-level schools have also been designed in such a way to enable teachers to cater for the wide range of pupil ability. The Special Education Support Service (SESS), which is a service under the management of my Department also supports schools and provides additional training for them in supporting students with special educational needs.
