Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 590: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason resource assistance is not provided to students with dyslexia, whose assessment is at the third percentile, with such assistance being confined to students at the first and second percentile (details supplied); the consultation she had with the Dyslexia Association regarding setting these levels; if she will extend the provision of resource assistance to children on the third percentile; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34169/06]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 638: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will revise the criteria under which students with dyslexia qualify for resource assistance to include those who score at the third precentile or above in order to include children who need such assistance to progress in school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34521/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 590 and 638 together.

My Department has given a very high priority to the provision of resources to address the learning difficulties of children with low levels of achievement in reading such as those referred to by the Deputy. As the Deputy is aware, my Department implemented a general allocation system in all primary schools with effect from the start of the 2005/2006 school year. The general allocation scheme is designed to ensure that each school has learning support/resource teaching support available to meet the needs of children with high incidence special needs including dyslexia.

There are now over 5,000 teachers in our primary schools working directly with children with special needs, including those requiring learning support. This compares to fewer than 1,500 in 1998.

A comprehensive circular (Circular SP ED 02/05) issued to schools in September 2005 in relation to the organisation of teaching resources for pupils who need additional support. Schools are advised in the circular to establish a staged approach to assessment, identification and learning programme planning for pupils with special educational needs. This advice is in keeping with advice that has been provided to schools in previous circulars and in the Learning-Support Guidelines and the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) model of service. A staged approach to identification and intervention is also advocated in the Report of the Task Force on Dyslexia and is in keeping with the terms of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004.

Guidance for schools is provided in the circular for each step of the staged process. Three worked examples of how the staged model can be put into operation in different school settings are provided.

It is not advocated that schools should establish a uniform system of screening, identification and diagnostic testing in relation to the selection of pupils for additional support. Rather they should use the guidance in the documents that have been provided to develop policies and procedures to suit the circumstances of the school and the needs of the pupils. Further guidance and advice in relation to the establishment of whole-school procedures can be sought from NEPS by schools who have an assigned NEPS psychologist and from the Primary Curriculum Support Programme trainers who are providing in-service support for all schools on the implementation of the Learning Support Guidelines.

Second level pupils with dyslexia are normally integrated into ordinary classes. In such situations, they may receive additional tutorial support from the remedial/learning support teacher, guidance counsellor and subject teachers. There are currently a total of 534 wholetime equivalent remedial/learning support teachers and 684 wholetime equivalent guidance teachers in place at second level.

My Department also allocates additional teacher support and special needs assistant support to second level schools and Vocational Education Committees to cater for pupils with special educational needs, including, where appropriate, pupils with dyslexia. To qualify for additional teaching support, under this category, children must be assessed by a psychologist as being of average intelligence or higher and having a degree of learning disability specific to basic skills in reading, writing or mathematics, which places them at or below the 2nd percentile on suitable, standardised, norm referenced tests.

In accordance with the terms of circular letter M10/94, pupils with dyslexia may also meet, depending on an educational assessment, the criteria for exemption from the learning of the Irish Language on the grounds of having a learning disability. Depending on the degree of the condition, they may also be eligible for special arrangements in the Certificate Examinations.

My Department did not consult with the Dyslexia Association in setting the Percentile levels. It is anticipated that the general allocation model will be reviewed after three years of operation and it is open to the Dyslexia Association to furnish its view to my Department at that point. I have no plans to alter the present system at this time.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 591: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to include children who suffer from the learning disability dyslexia and have scored third percentile in their assessment to qualify for resource assistance; if an assessment will be provided for a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34253/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has given a very high priority to the provision of resources to address the learning difficulties of children with low levels of achievement in reading such as those referred to by the Deputy. As the Deputy is aware, my Department implemented a general allocation system in all primary schools with effect from the start of the 2005/2006 school year. The general allocation scheme is designed to ensure that each school has learning support/resource teaching support available to meet the needs of children with high incidence special needs including dyslexia.

The school in question was allocated one learning support/resource teaching post and 12.5 part time hours as part of this initiative. Primary children, including the pupil in question, do not need an assessment to access these learning/resource teaching supports. It is expected that the needs of the pupil referred to by the Deputy can be catered for within this allocation.

A comprehensive circular (Circular SP ED 02/05) issued to schools in September 2005 in relation to the organisation of teaching resources for pupils who need additional support. Schools are advised in the circular to establish a staged approach to assessment, identification and learning programme planning for pupils with special educational needs. This advice is in keeping with advice that has been provided to schools in previous circulars and in the Learning-Support Guidelines and the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) model of service. A staged approach to identification and intervention is also advocated in the Report of the Task Force on Dyslexia and is in keeping with the terms of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004.

Guidance for schools is provided in the circular for each step of the staged process. Three worked examples of how the staged model can be put into operation in different school settings are provided.

It is not advocated that schools should establish a uniform system of screening, identification and diagnostic testing in relation to the selection of pupils for additional support. Rather they should use the guidance in the documents that have been provided to develop policies and procedures to suit the circumstances of the school and the needs of the pupils. Further guidance and advice in relation to the establishment of whole-school procedures can be sought from NEPS by schools who have an assigned NEPS psychologist and from the Primary Curriculum Support Programme trainers who are providing in-service support for all schools on the implementation of the Learning Support Guidelines.

I understand that the pupil in question is currently in 6th Class. Second level pupils with dyslexia are normally integrated into ordinary classes. In such situations they may receive additional tutorial support from the remedial/learning support teacher, guidance counsellor and subject teachers. There are currently a total of 534 wholetime equivalent remedial/learning support teachers and 684 wholetime equivalent guidance teachers in place at second level.

My Department also allocates additional teacher support and special needs assistant support to second level schools and Vocational Education Committees to cater for pupils with special educational needs, including, where appropriate, pupils with dyslexia. To qualify for additional teaching support, under this category, children must be assessed by a psychologist as being of average intelligence or higher and having a degree of learning disability specific to basic skills in reading, writing or mathematics which places them at or below the 2nd percentile on suitable, standardised, norm referenced tests.

In accordance with the terms of circular letter M10/94, pupils with dyslexia may also meet, depending on an educational assessment, the criteria for exemption from the learning of the Irish Language on the grounds of having a learning disability. Depending on the degree of the condition, they may also be eligible for special arrangements in the Certificate Examinations.

The position regarding assessments is that schools have access to psychological assessments for their pupils, either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) administered by NEPS. Schools that do not currently have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them may avail of the SCPA scheme. This Scheme allows the school to commission assessments from members of a panel of psychologists in private practice approved by NEPS. The fees for these assessments are paid directly by NEPS to the psychologist. Details of this process and the conditions that apply to the scheme are available on my Department's Website.