Written answers

Thursday, 30 June 2005

Department of Education and Science

Special Educational Needs

8:00 pm

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 608: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the category of a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in respect of special needs; the reason the school is not categorised as disadvantaged; the further reason there has been a reduction in its special needs resource hours; the number of resource hours it has had for the past three years; and the resource hours it will receive from September 2005. [23933/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The school to which the Deputy refers is included in the rural dimension of my Department's Giving Children an Even Break programme aimed at combating educational disadvantage. The school receives additional financial resources to provide educational supports to be targeted at disadvantaged pupils.

As the Deputy is aware, a new scheme for allocating resource teachers to schools to cater for the needs of children with high incidence special needs and learning support needs, was announced last month. The reason for the new scheme is simple. Children with special needs such as dyslexia or mild learning difficulties are found in almost every school. It makes sense then that every school should have a number of resource teaching hours based on the number of pupils in the school.

This is a major improvement on the previous system, under which children with high incidence special needs required a psychological assessment before they were given resource teaching hours by the Department. This was a time consuming process that often led to delays in children getting the support they needed. Resource teachers will now be in place in the school from the start of the school year so that children who need their assistance can get it immediately.

Under the new arrangement, disadvantaged schools, boys schools and mixed schools get extra resources, as research shows that pupils in these schools are more likely to have learning difficulties. Furthermore, under the new model a new ratio has been introduced for small schools, with a lower appointment ratio for the first full post for each type of small school.

The general allocation for the school in question is 17.5 part-time hours based on an enrolment of 71. The school's resource teaching allocation under the new scheme is based on its status as a small mixed school, that is, the first post is allocated at 105:1. Schools whose allocations are based on 80:1 are those disadvantaged schools that are specifically eligible for additional staffing under the urban dimension of the Giving Children an Even Break Scheme. The school in question is not eligible for such additional staffing and so does not qualify for the special 80:1 ratio for resource teacher allocation.

It is a matter for each school to determine the pupils with high incidence special education and learning support needs who 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. In this regard, it should be noted that my Department has recently been informed by this school that six pupils who had individual allocations under the previous system have either left the school at this stage or will be leaving at the end of this school year.

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 609: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the learning support a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will receive when the school term resumes in September 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23934/05]

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 610: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the learning support a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will receive when the school term resumes in September 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23935/05]

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 611: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the learning support which a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will receive when the school term resumes in September 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23936/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 609 to 611, inclusive, together.

As the Deputy is aware, a new scheme for allocating resource teachers to schools to cater for the needs of children with high incidence special needs and learning support needs was announced last month. The reason for the new scheme is simple. Children with special needs such as dyslexia or mild learning difficulties are found in almost every school. It makes sense then that every school should have a number of resource teaching hours based on the number of pupils in the school.

This is a major improvement on the previous system, under which children with high incidence special needs required a psychological assessment before they were given resource teaching hours by the Department. This was a time consuming process that often led to delays in children getting the support they needed. Resource teachers will now be in place in the school from the start of the school year, so that children who need their assistance can get it straight away.

The general allocation for the school in question is 2.5 part-time hours based on an enrolment of 15. It is a matter for each school to determine the pupils with high incidence special education and learning support needs who 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.

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