Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 466: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will give an update in an application by a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary for a special needs teacher on a shared basis with two other schools in the area. [23462/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is 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 three schools in question have been arranged in different cluster arrangements under the new model.

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 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. In general, the permanent post allocation clustering arrangements cannot be altered unless in exceptional circumstances such as geographical location.

Part-time hours have been provided to schools in cases where it was not possible to form a cluster of general allocation hours. Schools allocated part-time permanent hours may be aware of a local school or schools with part-time permanent hours that when combined could form a full-time permanent post. It is open to any such schools wishing to form a cluster by combining these hours to contact my Department's special education section in writing with details of their proposal. It should be noted that these arrangements apply to staffing associated with the general allocation model only.

Where it is not possible for schools to form permanent posts under the general allocation model, such schools may, for the purposes of creating temporary full-time posts, form clusters to combine permanent part-time hours allocated under the general allocation model with hours allocated for individual children with low incidence disabilities, or transitional hours retained for children with high incidence disabilities. Again, any schools wishing to form such temporary full-time posts should contact my Department's special education section in writing with details of their proposal. This arrangement will apply for the 2005-06 school year only and is being facilitated on the understanding that, as pupils with an individual allocation of hours leave the school at the end of that school year, the full-time temporary posts will be adjusted to the appropriate reduced level of part-time hours.

The schools in question have submitted a proposal regarding a revision of the clustering arrangements notified to them. The proposal involves dissolving the cluster arrangements notified to them and creating a new permanent teaching post among the three schools. My officials are currently examining the proposal and will be in further contact with the school authorities as quickly as 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 at an early date. 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.