Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 128: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 577 of 24 October 2006 and a personal reply from her on 14 November 2006, if progress has been made in relation to this case. [40202/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department provides a range of supports to second level schools to enable them cater for students with special educational needs. The supports in question include remedial and resource teaching support, special needs assistant support and funding for the purchase of specialised equipment.

There are currently approximately 1,854 whole time equivalent additional teachers in place to support pupils with special educational needs at second level. This compares to the approximately 200 teachers that were in place in 1998 for such pupils. In addition, there are approximately 1,365 whole time equivalent special needs assistants (SNAs) in our second level schools.

The general allocation model at primary level is based on the premise that all primary schools have children with learning support or high incidence special educational needs. Early intervention support at primary ensures that many children do not need additional support at second level.

The precise model of provision made available at second level will depend on the assessed needs of the pupils involved. Some students are capable of attending ordinary classes on an integrated basis with additional teacher and/or special needs assistant support. In other cases, placement in special dedicated classes or units attached to the school may be more appropriate response. Such special classes operate at significantly reduced pupil teacher ratios. Students attached to these special classes may be facilitated in attending ordinary subject classes on an integrated basis wherever possible.

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. All second level schools in the free education /block grant schemes have an entitlement to an ex-quota teacher allocation in respect of remedial /learning support teaching and guidance provision. 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.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has been established as an independent statutory body with responsibilities as set out in the National Council for Special Education Act, 2005. With effect from 1 January 2005, the NCSE through local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) is responsible for processing resource applications for children with special educational needs. Where a pupil with special educational needs enrols in a post primary school, it is open to the school to apply to the local SENO for additional teaching support and/or special needs assistant support for the pupil.

In accordance with the terms of circular letter M 10/94, pupils with dyslexia may also, depending on an educational assessment, meet 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.