Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy O'Dowd for his kind remarks. I am pleased to have been given an opportunity to clarify the position in respect of the special needs class at Marymount national school, which had an enrolment of 422 pupils on 30 September 2007. The school's current staff comprises a principal teacher, 15 mainstream class teachers, a disadvantaged concessionary teaching post, five learning support and resource teaching posts, two special class teaching posts, a resource teacher for Travellers, a home school liaison post, three urban band teaching posts and five temporary language support teaching posts.

As the Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special educational needs. The organisers approve the establishment of special classes where a need has been determined. I understand that officials from the Department of Education and Science have been in contact with the National Council for Special Education about the special needs class in Marymount national school. It seems that a significant number of children enrolled in the special class will move to post-primary education in September. I am informed that the local special educational needs organiser is actively involved in discussions with the school authorities and local HSE officials regarding the future of the special class. A decision has yet to be taken. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.

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