Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 July 2014
177. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria that will be used for the proposed new resource teacher model; if a school (details supplied) will be taken into consideration when developing this new model of resource; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28207/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) published its Report on a Proposed New Model for Allocating Teachers for Students with Special Educational Needs on Wednesday 18th June 2014. This report is available at www.ncse.ie. The report has recommended that a new allocation model should be developed for schools based on two components: a school educational profile component; and a baseline component provided to every mainstream school to support inclusion, prevention of learning difficulties and early intervention. It recommended that the educational profile of a school should take into account: the number of students with complex special educational needs attending the school; the Percentages of students performing below a certain threshold on standardised test results; the Social context of school which includes gender, primary school location and educational disadvantage.
I have asked my Department to consider the recommendations contained in this report and to examine what impact this proposal would have in practice on the allocation of Special Needs teachers to schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy in his question. I am hopeful that this work, which involves collecting significant information from schools, can be completed by the Autumn, following which, further consideration will be given to the report recommendations. In considering proposals for any new resource allocation model my Department will consult with all stakeholder groups, including parents, to hear their views on the proposals.
