Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 461: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has reviewed the resource hours application of a person (details supplied); if her Department has received further correspondence from a school in relation to this child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23301/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will 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 are a focal point of contact for schools and parents.

My officials have been advised by the NCSE that an application has been received for individual resource teaching support and special needs assistant report for the pupil referred to by the Deputy. The local SENO has sanctioned five hours special needs assistant support for the pupil in question and the school authorities have been notified accordingly. The situation will be reviewed again in September 2005.

On resource teaching support, the SENO has determined that the special educational needs, SEN, of the pupil in question falls within the high incidence disability categories and her needs therefore can be catered for from within the school's general allocation. The general allocation for the school in question is 17.5 part time hours. It is a matter for each school to determine the pupils with high incidence special education and learning support needs that will receive this 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 point is that the type of response needed depends on the child.