Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 379: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on dyslexia workshops; if she will award grant aid to such initiatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22588/06]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 380: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the categories of specific or special learning needs required to have an individual learning plan; if it is intended to expend these categories; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22589/06]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 405: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the workshops organised by an association (details supplied) in many areas; if her attention has further been drawn to the fact that the need for such workshops arises from the widespread non implementation of her Department's policy and guidelines for slow learners; if her attention has further been drawn to the fact that the staff and other resources required by the workshops are fully funded by the parents of the pupils concerned; her views on grant aid to workshops to defray these costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22722/06]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 407: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has satisfied herself regarding the take up and implementation of the individual learning programme for slow learners and for dyslexic pupils in particular at national school level; the percentage of national schools that have implemented this programme; her views on making the programme obligatory rather than optional; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22724/06]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 408: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has satisfied herself with the level of use of individual learning plans for children in need of special educational supports; if she will alter the manner in which such plans are incorporated into the education system by moving away from merely recommending their use and towards a situation where schools are required to implement them; if her Department has monitored in the past, currently monitors, or intends to monitor the learning outcomes achieved for pupils in schools which implement ILPs as compared with schools which do not; her views on the merits of individual learning plans; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22795/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 379, 380, 405, 407 and 408 together.

The Deputies will be aware of the significant initiative for allocating resource teachers that I introduced in primary schools in September 2005. The new scheme allocates resource teachers to schools to cater for the needs of children with high-incidence special educational needs, such as dyslexia and those children with low attainments. This ensures that schools have the resources in place to cater for pupils with high-incidence special educational needs who may enrol in their school.

The Learning-Support Guidelines 2000 advise schools to devise and implement an Individual Profile and Learning Programme in respect of all pupils with low achievement in literacy and numeracy. The Learning Support Guidelines are provided to schools as best practice guidance. While the process is not mandatory, schools are strongly advised to put procedures in place that ensure that the child's needs are identified and appropriate interventions are put in place.

I do not intend to make the Individual Profile and Learning Programme process mandatory. Rather, since their publication, my Department has provided and continues to provide support to schools and teachers on the implementation of the Learning-Support Guidelines. A copy of the Learning-Support Guidelines has been distributed to all primary teachers. Trainers from the Primary Curriculum Support Programme have provided a training day on the implementation of the Learning-Support Guidelines for the teachers in every primary school in the country and additional training courses and advice and support has been provided for school principals, learning support teachers and resource teachers. This support is on-going. The Learning-Support Guidelines are also used as the core textbook in the year-long training programmes for learning-support teachers that are provided by the Colleges of Education and the universities and which are funded by the Teacher Education Section of my Department.

As provided for in the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act (2004), an education plan for each individual pupil with special educational needs will become mandatory when the relevant sections of the EPSEN Act are commenced. In preparation for this, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has drawn up guidelines on the Individual Education Plan Process. It is intended to publish these guidelines before the end of the current school year. These guidelines will provide advice and assistance to schools, teachers and parents on devising and implementing Individual Education Plans (IEPs). It is expected that schools will use these guidelines to draw up school policies and procedures in relation to IEPs in advance of the mandatory requirement for them.

I have asked the NCSE to provide me with an implementation plan in relation to the EPSEN Act. I expect to receive this plan by October 2006. This plan will enable me to decide on the commencement of the remaining sections of the Act, including the sections related to IEPs. In relation to the matter of dyslexia workshops, I can confirm that my Department provides funding to the Dyslexia Association. This funding helps the organisation operate an information service for members and the public. In addition, part of the funding assists in meeting the costs associated with the attendance of some children from disadvantaged backgrounds at workshops and programmes organised by the association.

The Deputies may be aware that my Department has developed an information resource pack on dyslexia in cd-rom, dvd and video format, in association with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. This product has been made available to all primary and post-primary schools. The DVD and video provides support for parents of pupils with dyslexia while the CD-Rom assists teachers who are teaching children with dyslexia in the mainstream classroom. Major improvements have been made in primary school staffing in recent years. Next September there will no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. Not only is the average class size in our primary schools down to 24, but there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc.

Children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas are getting more support than ever before to help them to make the most of their time at school. With the thousands of extra primary teachers appointed, recent years have seen the largest expansion in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. Over the next two school years even more teachers will be put in place both for the above priority areas of disadvantage and special education and also under a reduction in the mainstream staffing schedule at primary level. Primary schools are staffed on a general rule of at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children. Of course, schools with only one or two teachers have much lower staffing ratios than that — with two teachers for just 12 pupils in some cases and so on — but the general rule is that there is at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children in the school. Next year this is being reduced to 28 children per classroom teacher and in 2007/2008 it will be reduced to 27 children per classroom teacher.

The number of children in large classes has been reduced dramatically by this Government. Furthermore, what really puts the decrease in large classes in context is the fact that in 1996/97 five times more children were in classes of 35+ and ten times more children were in classes of 40+. It is important to appreciate that there are a number of different reasons why a particular school may have a large class in a given year. Reasons why there are large classes include a significant fluctuation in enrolments from one year to the next and/or a decision by the school principal not to have multi-grade classes.

Regardless of the reason why there is a large class in a particular school one year, it should be noted that in the majority of cases this is not the situation in the following year. In the main, the same schools do not have large classes year after year and so the same children are not in large classes year after year.

Where some classes in a school have class sizes of greater than 29, it is often because a decision has been taken at local level to use their teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes. Indeed, when the matter of why a particular school has a class of 35 in a particular grade is looked into, very often the answer is because there is another class in the same school with a much lower than average number of pupils in it.

Splitting classes may not always be an option for a particular school, because for example there might be a large group in junior infants and a small group in sixth class and so on. But where it is possible, principals should consider the benefits of having smaller multi-grade classes as against having large differences in class sizes at different levels in the school. This Government has clearly demonstrated its commitment to improving staffing in our primary schools by hiring thousands of extra teachers in recent years and we will continue to make progress on this issue.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 381: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the recommended case load for resource teachers; if it is intended to set minimum standards for such teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22590/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Primary school pupils with special educational needs are allocated between 3 and 5 support teaching hours per week. Once a school or cluster of schools acquires 22 additional resource teaching hours, a full-time resource teacher may be recruited. A full-time resource teacher is expected to teach for up to 25 hours per week. On this basis resource teachers would typically have between 5 and 8 pupils with low-incidence special educational needs on a caseload.

In post-primary schools SENOs allocate hours in respect of students with certain professionally assessed high- and low-incidence disabilities. The allocations range from 2.5 to 5 hours per child. A full-time resource teacher at post-primary level would have a caseload of 22 hours, however a teacher in such a setting may also teach other subjects and in theory could have just one student for resource teaching support.

The following teachers can be appointed to resource teacher posts: (i) Fully recognised and probated primary teachers; or (ii) Teachers who were granted provisional or restricted recognition from the Department of Education and Science before 28th March 2006. (iii) Teachers who are registered with the Teaching Council on or after 28th March 2006, and who are eligible to teach in mainstream or special education settings.

To be qualified as a resource teacher in the post-primary sector, a person must be qualified as a post-primary teacher and, in addition, hold a recognised post-graduate qualification in special educational needs (SEN)teaching. There is also provision for appointment of a teacher without such a post-graduate qualification if no fully qualified SEN teacher is available.

Major improvements have been made in primary school staffing in recent years. Next September there will no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. Not only is the average class size in our primary schools down to 24, but there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc.

Children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas are getting more support than ever before to help them to make the most of their time at school. With the thousands of extra primary teachers appointed, recent years have seen the largest expansion in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. Over the next two school years even more teachers will be put in place both for the above priority areas of disadvantage and special education and also under a reduction in the mainstream staffing schedule at primary level. Primary schools are staffed on a general rule of at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children. Of course, schools with only one or two teachers have much lower staffing ratios than that — with two teachers for just 12 pupils in some cases and so on — but the general rule is that there is at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children in the school. Next year this is being reduced to 28 children per classroom teacher and in 2007/2008 it will be reduced to 27 children per classroom teacher.

The number of children in large classes has been reduced dramatically by this Government. Furthermore, what really puts the decrease in large classes in context is the fact that in 1996/97 five times more children were in classes of 35+ and ten times more children were in classes of 40+. It is important to appreciate that there are a number of different reasons why a particular school may have a large class in a given year. Reasons why there are large classes include a significant fluctuation in enrolments from one year to the next and/or a decision by the school principal not to have multi-grade classes.

Regardless of the reason why there is a large class in a particular school one year, it should be noted that in the majority of cases this is not the situation in the following year. In the main, the same schools do not have large classes year after year and so the same children are not in large classes year after year.

Where some classes in a school have class sizes of greater than 29, it is often because a decision has been taken at local level to use their teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes. Indeed, when the matter of why a particular school has a class of 35 in a particular grade is looked into, very often the answer is because there is another class in the same school with a much lower than average number of pupils in it.

Splitting classes may not always be an option for a particular school, because for example there might be a large group in junior infants and a small group in sixth class and so on. But where it is possible, principals should consider the benefits of having smaller multi-grade classes as against having large differences in class sizes at different levels in the school. This Government has clearly demonstrated its commitment to improving staffing in our primary schools by hiring thousands of extra teachers in recent years and we will continue to make progress on this issue.