Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 153: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on whether more leniency is needed in severe special needs cases in national schools; if her Department will review same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34239/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Children who have been assessed as having special educational needs (SEN) have access to a range of special support services. The services range from special schools dedicated to particular disability groups, through special classes or units attached to ordinary schools, to placement on an integrated basis in ordinary schools, with special back-up supports.

The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organiser (SENO), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special needs supports such as resource teaching hours and special needs assistant (SNA) support for children with low-incidence SEN, based on applications in respect of individual pupils.

In allocating additional teaching and SNA supports for individual pupils, the SENOs examine what teaching and other resources are available to these pupils within the school. The SENO also operates within the parameters of my Department's criteria for the allocation of such resources. The criteria are set out in my Department's circulars having regard to the recommendations of the Report of the Special Education Review Committee, 1993, also known as the SERC Report.

Primary schools are also supported by means of a general allocation, which provides additional teaching support to enable schools to cater for pupils with high incidence special educational needs, such as dyslexia, and those with low attainments. The system was constructed so that allocations would be based on certain pupil numbers, taking into account the differing needs of the most disadvantaged schools and the evidence that boys have greater difficulties than girls do in this regard.

The NCSE will review decisions previously taken in relation to individual cases on foot of a request from the school or parents/guardians, when accompanied by relevant additional information that may not have been available at the time of the original decision. The NCSE has outlined this process in its Circular 01/05, which has issued to all primary schools.