Written answers

Wednesday, 7 March 2007

Department of Education and Science

Special Educational Needs

10:00 pm

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 286: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extra support available for a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the circumstances of that case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9123/07]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is currently considering an application from the school in question for additional teaching provision to support a number of Traveller children in the school referred to by the Deputy.

The application will be examined as quickly as possible and will be considered in the context of the recently published Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy. The school authority will be advised of the outcome once the examination has been completed.

The Deputy will be aware that my Department implemented a general allocation system of learning support/resource teachers to mainstream primary schools in September 2005. The system is intended to cater for children with high-incidence special education needs such as mild general learning disability and learning support needs. The school in question has been allocated 17.5 hours resource teaching support in the context of this initiative. It is open to the school to identify the pupils with learning support and high-incidence special education needs that will receive this supplementary teaching support. The school can use its professional judgement to decide how these hours are divided between different children in the school, to ensure that all their needs are met. My Department issued a guidance circular to schools which contained detailed information on how the new system operates.

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