Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 692: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to an anomaly in relation to children with special educational needs who attend early start programmes and who are not entitled to the same levels of support (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19149/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The early start project is a one-year, pre-school intervention and children must be between the ages of three and four on 1 September of the year they are enrolled. The approach taken in early start is to establish groups of 15 pupils in existing primary schools in disadvantaged areas, with each class being run by a primary school teacher and a qualified child care worker.

With regard to children with special needs attending early start, while my Department does not provide special needs assistants for pre-school provision, applications have been considered on a case-by-case basis where an exceptional need has been demonstrated.

All children attend early start for one year and are then enrolled in junior infants. Resources are put in place to cater for the needs of children with special needs when they are enrolled in junior infants. Any application for such resources should be sent by the school to the local special educational needs organiser.