Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In May 2013, the National Council for Special Education recommended the development of a new model for the allocation of those additional teaching resources to mainstream schools based on the profiled need of each school, which breaks the direct link between the allocation of additional resources and the diagnosis of disability. The NCSE concluded that the current support allocation model does not provide all children with equal access to educational supports. It is proposed that a new model should be developed for the allocation of resources whereby a quantum of additional special educational needs resource teaching support would be allocated to schools based on the profiled need of each school. I feel that would go a long way towards addressing some of the concerns the Deputies have raised. On foot of that advice the Minister, Deputy Quinn, has asked the NCSE to establish a working group to propose a new allocation model to reflect those challenges. I expect that report to be available to the Minister quite soon.

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