Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome Mr. Stack and the officials from the NCSE. I have a couple of questions in addition to those asked by Deputy McConalogue. I know Mr. Stack cannot comment on the policy advice - the pre-publication that has been given to the Department - but he may be able at least to indicate whether we have looked at the use of restraints and seclusion rooms as part of that policy advice. I am not asking what advice has been given but perhaps Mr. Stack could tell me whether that has been incorporated into the pre-publication that has been given to the Minister.

In respect of the 28 recommendations, many of which are being implemented, will Mr. Stack give the committee an indication as to which ones are not being implemented, why they are not being implemented and if there are plans to commence their implementation? Deputy McConalogue spoke about the new model which is being introduced and is operating on a pilot basis. There is at least a degree of concern that the new model will be hampered by the 15% reduction in resource teaching hours. Will Mr. Stack comment on that? Is the new model fit for purpose given the resources that are available or do we need an increase in resources?

I agree that teacher education is a critical aspect that we need to look at, particularly in a mainstream setting when we are dealing with children with special educational needs. From my experience, it is a very hit-and-miss process with some teachers. Some teachers are excellent when it comes to students with dyslexia or dyspraxia and do a lot of continuing professional development, CPD. The teacher who was teaching my stepson, who is dyslexic and dyspraxic and has Asperger's syndrome, was excellent. The teacher introduced assistive technology into my stepson's education and because of her training and upskilling, she was able to relate to the student in particular. When a change in teacher occurred as my stepson progressed, we found that the teacher, through no fault of his own because he was an excellent teacher, did not have the same level of interaction with assistive technology in respect of how to deal with children with specific needs. Are we looking at CPD or actual degree courses in respect of teacher education or is it a combination of both? I know the Teaching Council of Ireland is undertaking some research on the inputs and outputs of teachers, but it will also focus on the processes in between and how CPD fits into those processes of upskilling. When one is dealing with children with special educational needs, it is critical that the teacher has more than the academic understanding because it is a completely different scenario when one goes into a classroom setting. One can read and learn as much as one wants around special educational needs but there is a personal interaction between students with those needs and teachers, and this is very difficult to teach. One only gets that in a classroom setting. How can we overcome that particular issue?

In respect of the transition between primary and post-primary education and on to further or higher education, I am a firm believer that resources need to follow the child. This is only my opinion. It should follow that whatever resources are available in primary education should automatically follow the student into post-primary education. Obviously, there would be a review of those resources in light of how the child is progressing. There is no guarantee for students in primary education, especially those with severe dyslexia who may be using assistive technology as part of their educational process, that when they move into post-primary education, they will get the use of a scribe or a reader for State examinations. We need to look at this area. If a student has a recommendation to start using assistive technology at an early stage in primary school and goes into secondary school, one issue that arises is that their laptops do not transfer to the post-primary setting when they should transfer. Aside from that, there is no guarantee that the student will be given access to a scribe or reader. We need to look at the transition model going right through rather than resources stopping at primary level and the student having to apply for new resources at post-primary level. I do not know if we are looking at research into whether it would be more beneficial for resources to follow the child through.