Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Education and Science, further to Question No. 122 of 9 October 2003, the position regarding the provision of additional teaching resources to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 6W; and if his Department's school inspector has been in touch with the school in question to sanction the allocation of an additional period to the child. [14038/04]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that a total of five hours resource teaching support and a full-time special needs assistant was sanctioned for the pupil in question and has been in place since the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year. This is the maximum level of resource teaching available under my Department's circular. The Deputy may be interested to know that my Department is at present reviewing existing arrangements for the allocation of special educational supports to primary schools. In that context, my officials have been involved in ongoing discussions on a weighted system of allocation with representative interests. At this stage it would be premature to anticipate the outcome for the school in question. I can confirm, however, that the basic purpose of that review is to ensure that each school has the level of resources required to cater for its pupils with special educational needs.

Pending the introduction of the weighted system, schools are advised to refer to the circular 24/03, which was issued in September 2003. This circular contains practical advice on how to achieve the most effective deployment of resources already allocated for special educational needs within the school. The weighted system, as part of which an additional 350 teaching posts will be allocated, will involve two main elements. First, to make a staffing allocation to schools based on a predicted incidence of pupils with special educational needs; and, second, to make individual allocations in the case of children with more acute lower-prevalence special educational needs.

It is expected that the change to a weighted system will bring with it a number of benefits. The new system will reduce the need for individualised educational psychological assessment; reduce the volume of applications to my Department for additional resources for individual pupils; and give greater flexibility to schools, which will facilitate the development and implementation of improved systems and procedures in schools to meet the needs of pupils with low achievement and pupils with special educational needs.

The detailed arrangements for processing applications for resources will be set out in a circular to be issued to schools before the end of the current school year. It is intended also that schools due to receive the additional posts will be notified within this timeframe.