Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 685: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on whether a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow is entitled to more than 2.5 hours of special needs assistance per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22137/05]

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 720: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position in a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if she will re-examine the decision to reduce special needs resource hours; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22464/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 685 and 720 together.

As the Deputies will be aware, my Department has issued a letter to all primary schools notifying them of their teaching allocation under the new general allocation model for the 2005-06 school year. The letter also includes details of any clustering arrangements that may apply.

The introduction of this new system will involve the provision of an estimated additional 340 permanent posts in primary schools from September next. A further 320 posts are being provided on a temporary basis to facilitate the transition to the new system and to ensure continuity of service for children who have previously been given an individual allocation until those children leave the primary school system.

One of the objectives of the general allocation model is to maximise the extent of full-time permanent posts available to support the needs of pupils with higher incidence special educational needs, SEN, and learning support teacher requirements. Clustering facilitates the assignment of experienced teachers as well as allowing for better training of resource teachers on the basis that permanent posts will retain teachers for longer periods. This ultimately benefits the pupils. To this end, schools, particularly those with small enrolments, have been grouped in clusters where possible.

My Department is also finalising a circular for schools which will contain detailed information on how the new system will operate. It is intended that this circular will issue before the commencement of the next school year. It is also intended that this circular will address issues that have been raised by schools with my Department since the system was notified to schools in mid-May.

The staffing of the school in question is one principal and one mainstream class teacher. The school's entitlement under the general allocation system, based on an enrolment of 15, is 2.5 hours. The school is in a cluster arrangement with three other local schools creating two full-time permanent posts and ten part-time hours. A proposal has been received from the schools concerned to alter the clustering arrangements proposed. This proposal will be examined shortly and the school authorities will be notified accordingly.

It is a matter for each school to determine the pupils with high incidence special education and learning support needs that will receive supplementary teaching support. Each school will have enough resource teaching hours to provide its pupils with a level of support appropriate to their needs. The school can then use its professional judgment to decide how these hours are divided between different children in the school, to ensure that all their needs are met.

Research shows that some children with special needs will respond better with one-to-one tuition. Others, however, do better when taught in small groups. Often it is best for resource teachers to work with children in the classroom rather than taking them away to a separate room, as the children then have to catch up work done by the rest of the class in their absence. The type of response needed depends on the child.