Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1035: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a school (details supplied) will not lose any of the services of its special needs assistants, resource teacher or learning support hours when her Department implements its new weighted system. [11254/05]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1036: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a school (details supplied) will be allocated additional resources in the area of special needs, resource teaching and learning supports to cater adequately for the special needs of the pupils in the school. [11255/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1035 and 1036 together.

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 those disability categories. That 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 those categories.

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.

I have made it clear that while I am in favour of 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 that reason I have asked my Department to conduct a review of the model, something announced last year. 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.

The Deputy may be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which was established recently, and which has been operational since 1 January 2005, is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs, SEN, supports. Some 71 special educational needs organisers, SENOs, have been recruited throughout the country and will be a focal point of contact for schools and parents.