Written answers

Tuesday, 12 April 2005

Department of Education and Science

Special Educational Needs

9:00 pm

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 1025: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if under the new circular for special needs (details supplied) specific learning disability, borderline mild general learning disability and mild general learning disability are no longer to be included as categories of disability qualifying for resource teacher hours; if this is a change that has resulted from this new circular and amendments named therein; the way in which she proposes to provide support and assistance to these students in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11244/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In light of the reality that pupils in the high incidence disability categories of mild and borderline mild general learning disability and dyslexia are distributed throughout the education system, my Department, in consultation with educational interests, developed a general model of resource teacher allocation to schools to support students in these disability categories. This model, which was announced by my predecessor in 2004 to come into effect from September 2005, was designed to put in place a permanent resource in primary schools to cater for pupils in these categories. Circular SP ED 09/04, which issued to schools in June 2004, introduced this new model.

The model was constructed so that allocations would be based on pupil numbers, taking into account the differing needs of the most disadvantaged schools and the evidence that boys have greater difficulties than girls in this regard. The advantages of using a general allocation model are as follows: it facilitates early intervention as the resource is in place in the school when the child enrols; it reduces the need for individual applications and supporting psychological assessments; it puts resources in place on a more systematic basis, thereby giving schools more certainty about their resource levels; it gives more security to special education teaching posts and makes special education teaching a more attractive option; it allows flexibility to school management in the deployment of resources, leading to a more effective and efficient delivery of services; and it will automatically adjust a school's general allocation on the basis of changing enrolment.

This is a model for resource allocation to schools. These resources may, in turn, be allocated, as appropriate, by schools to those pupils with special educational needs in the categories mentioned and to pupils with learning support requirements. While I favour using a general allocation model for the reasons I have just given, I am conscious of the particular difficulties that the model announced last year could cause for small and rural schools if implemented as originally announced. For this reason I have asked my Department to conduct a review of the model. The review will be completed in the coming weeks and its outcome will be announced in time to be implemented for the next school year.

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