Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy will be aware that the general allocation of learning support-resource teachers is intended to cater for children with learning support and high incidence special educational needs. The system was constructed so that learning support-resource teachers' allocations would be based on pupil numbers, taking into account the differing needs of the most disadvantaged schools and evidence that boys have greater difficulties than girls in this regard.

The new system has a number of benefits associated with it. It puts resources in place on a more systematic basis thereby giving schools more certainty about their resource levels, facilitates early intervention as the resource is in place when the child enrols, reduces the need for individual applications and supporting psychological assessments and allows flexibility to school management in the deployment of resources, leading to a more effective and efficient delivery of services.

In introducing the general allocation system transitional arrangements were also introduced whereby transitional hours were allocated to schools to cater for children for whom individual teaching resources had previously been allocated but which it would not have been possible for the school to continue to provide from its general allocation. In the circumstances no child would lose his or her resource teaching support. It is intended that a review of the general allocation model will be undertaken within three years of operation.

More than 5,000 teachers in our primary schools now work directly with children with special needs, including those requiring learning support. This figure compares with a figure of fewer than 1,500 in 1998. Moreover, one in five primary school teachers now works specifically with children with special needs. I am also pleased that over the next two years 500 extra teachers will be allocated in primary schools to reduce class size and tackle disadvantage.

With regard to the inner city schools referred to by the Deputy, officials from the Department of Education and Science have discussed the concerns of these schools with the Irish National Teachers Organisation and requested that the schools in question send any information they believe supports a case for additional special needs supports to the Department. The Department awaits full details so the concerns of the schools can be considered.

It should be noted that, taking account of their allocation this year, including the general allocation model, a number of these schools enjoy exceptionally favourable pupil-teacher ratios with an average of 10:1.

The Department of Education and Science has introduced a new action plan for educational inclusion, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS. A key element of DEIS is the putting in place of a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage in primary and second level schools for the purposes of qualifying for resources, both human and financial, according to the degree of disadvantaged experienced. This standardised system will replace all existing arrangements for targeting schools for participation in initiatives to address disadvantage.

As a result of the identification process, approximately 600 primary schools, comprising 300 urban and 300 rural, and 150 second level schools will be included in a new school support programme, SSP. The SSP will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions for schools and school clusters or communities with a concentrated level of educational disadvantage. Existing schemes and programmes will be integrated into the SSP on a phased basis over the implementation period.

The Department anticipates being in a position to notify participating schools in regard to the outcome of the ongoing identification process by the end of the year. The Government, particularly the Minister for Education and Science, is deeply committed to improving services for children with special needs. In addition to the massive increase in resource teachers in recent years, the introduction of this new general allocation scheme will ensure a faster and more flexible response for children with special needs.

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