Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 616: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of rural primary schools nationwide which have lost permanent resource teaching positions as a result of the changes announced in special education at primary level in the DES circular NCSE 01/05. [23993/05]

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 617: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of rural primary schools in County Roscommon which have lost permanent resource teaching positions as a result of the changes announced in special education at primary level in the DES circular NCSE 01/05. [23994/05]

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 618: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary school children in the two-year period, 2003 to 2005, who, following psychological assessment, were deemed eligible for one to one resource support but have not had their applications sanctioned pending a review of the system; and if these applications for one to one support are now invalid according to the regulations of Department circular NCSE 01/05. [23995/05]

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 619: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary school children in County Roscommon in the two-year period, 2003 to 2005, who, following psychological assessment, were deemed eligible for one to one resource support but have not had their applications sanctioned pending a review of the system; and if these applications for one to one support are now invalid according to the regulations of Department circular NCSE 01/05. [23996/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 616 to 619, inclusive, together.

The specific information requested by the Deputy on the number of rural primary schools in County Roscommon and nationwide that have lost permanent resource teaching support is not readily available in my Department. Circular 01/05 refers to the establishment of the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. The NCSE became operational from 1 January 2005 and is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs, SEN, supports in primary schools and special schools.

The Deputy will also be aware that 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 because research shows that pupils in these schools are more likely to have learning difficulties.

To ensure that every school has enough resource teaching hours to meet the needs of its pupils, an extra 660 resource teaching posts are being put in place for next September. Of these, 340 are permanent posts and 320 are temporary posts being provided to ensure children who had been given an individual allocation of resource teaching hours by my Department will keep these in circumstances in which the general allocation to the school would not be sufficient to allow the school to provide these hours from within its general allocation.

The provision of these temporary posts will ensure that no child who has been allocated a specific number of hours with a resource teacher by my Department will lose these under the new arrangements. The reality is that the majority of schools are gaining resource teaching hours under the new scheme. Addressing the concerns of small and rural schools was, as the Deputy will be aware, the reason I initiated a review of the original general allocation model which had been announced last year to come into effect in the 2005-06 school year. Following this review, a special improved ratio for small schools has been introduced to ensure they are given resource teaching hours on a more favourable basis.

I confirm for the Deputy that where a pupil has a high incidence disability, that is, mild or borderline mild general learning disability, dyslexia or a learning support need, these needs will now be catered for from within the general allocation system recently announced to schools. Any pupils within these categories for whom applications were previously submitted to my Department now fall to be catered for from within this allocation. The school can use its professional judgment to decide how these hours are divided between different children in the school to ensure 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. While the new scheme will not prevent schools from giving one to one time with the resource teacher to children who need it, it is important to note that one to one teaching is not the best option for every child.

It is also the case that pupils with lower incidence special needs, such as autism, will continue to be catered for on an individual application basis. As of next September there will be over 5,000 teachers in our primary schools working directly with children with special needs, including those requiring learning support. This compares to under 1,500 in 1998. Indeed, one out of every five primary school teachers is now working specifically with children with special needs.

The Government is deeply committed to improving services for children with special needs. In addition to the massive increase in resource teachers in recent years, the introduction of this new general allocation scheme will ensure a faster and more flexible response for children with special educational needs.