Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 95: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the steps in place to help discover cases of dyslexia in primary schools; if a national test will be undertaken in order to assess the extent of the condition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34460/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, a key focus and priority of my Department is to provide for resources in schools to support pupils with special educational needs, including those with dyslexia. For mainstream primary schools, this is done through the General Allocation Model. This model was introduced in September 2005 and ensures that mainstream primary schools have the additional teaching resources already in place to enable them cater for children with high-incidence special educational needs, including dyslexia.

It is a matter for the individual school to use its professional judgement to identify pupils that will receive this support and to use the resources available to the school to intervene at the appropriate level with such pupils. My Department issued a comprehensive circular, SP ED 02/05, to schools to provide guidelines and advice on the manner in which they should use the resources that have been allocated to them to best effect.

My Department issued Circular 0138/2006 to all schools in 2006 setting out the requirement for mandatory standardised testing in English, Reading and Mathematics. From the beginning of 2007, testing has been implemented on an annual basis for all pupils at two stages of the primary cycle, supported by an annual grant to schools of the order of €1.8m annually for the cost of test materials, manuals, test scoring services or test related software. There is widespread acceptance of the value of standardised testing as one of a range of modes of assessment that help teachers to make more informed decisions in relation to teaching and learning. The results of standardised tests can be used to inform parents of pupils' progress and to assist in the identification of pupils that may require support.

In common with many other psychological services and best international practice, my Department, through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), encourages a staged assessment process, a continuum of assessment to identify pupils with special educational needs, including dyslexia. Under this process each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and learning support, in consultation with their assigned NEPS psychologist. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite of the school's best efforts, will a child be referred for individual psychological assessment. This system allows the psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention. The staged model recognises that pupils present with a wide range of issues and difficulties and allows for their amelioration and intervention at the level most appropriate to the particular need.

The Deputy may also be aware that my Department supports teachers with additional training needs in the area of dyslexia. The Special Education Support Service (SESS) manages, co-ordinates and develops a range of supports in response to identified teacher training needs. The SESS provides fees' subsidies for the online training course, "Dyslexia: Identification and Early Interventions". Fees' subsidies are also provided for teachers to enable them to avail of the Dyslexia Association of Ireland courses.

Finally, my Department has developed an information resource pack on dyslexia in CD-Rom, DVD and video format, in association with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. This product has been made available to all primary and post-primary schools. The DVD and video provides support for parents of pupils with dyslexia while the CD-Rom assists teachers who are teaching children with dyslexia in the mainstream classroom.