Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 November 2016
230. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the level of training which teachers at both primary and post-primary levels receive to enable them to recognise the symptoms associated with conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia; if additional training will be offered to teachers in this area in future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36265/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraFirstly, I would like to assure the Deputy of this Government's commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs.
Pupils with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs) such as ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia are supported by my Department through the allocation of additional teaching resources to schools for pupils with high incidence special educational needs. Schools may differentiate the level of learning support granted to ensure that available resources are used to support children in line with their needs.
As part of the recent Budget announcements, a new model for the allocation of teaching resources for children with special educational needs will be implemented from September 2017. Further details regarding implementation of the new model will be announced in the coming months.
Other supports provided to support pupils with SLDs include funding for schools for the purchase of specialised equipment and an information resource pack on Dyslexia, which has been made available to all primary and post-primary schools.
Supports for teachers are provided across the continuum of teacher education, from initial teacher education (ITE) to in-career teacher professional learning.
In ITE, programme providers aim to prepare their student teachers to meet the diverse needs of all their pupils.
The compulsory components of ITE are outlined in the Teaching Council’s "Initial Teacher Education: Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers (2011)" and include Inclusive Education (Special Education, Multiculturalism, Disadvantage, etc.). The learning outcomes of ITE programmes also reflect the need for the teacher to be able to conduct a systematic, holistic assessment of learner needs; to apply knowledge of the individual potential of students, their disposition towards learning and their backgrounds, identities and learning styles to their teaching; to set clear, challenging and achievable expectations for pupils; to evaluate learner progress; to act as an advocate for students, referring students for educational support as required and participating in the provision of that support, amongst other relevant outcomes.
In regard to ongoing professional learning opportunities there is provision for continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers with additional training needs through the Special Education Support Service (SESS). As well as the current broad spectrum of available courses, the SESS continues to update current CPD courses and design new CPD courses in response to the needs of teachers.
My Department’s psychological service, NEPS, provides ongoing advice, support and consultation to teaching staff in schools to build their knowledge and capacity to identify concerns, provide appropriate intervention and monitor the progress of students with a range of difficulties including, among others, dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD.
The Teaching Council acknowledges that teachers’ learning should be linked to teachers’ needs, students’ needs and school needs, and differentiated to suit the culture and context of teachers’ work. Cosán, the Teaching Council's framework for teachers’ learning, has an inherent flexibility to take account of all of these variables, while simultaneously enabling the needs of the students, the school and the system to be met. In this context the emerging needs of teachers with regard to pupils with special education needs can be recognised and appropriate supports developed as required.
