Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 939: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the action she will take to assist the needs of individual students who have special needs, with specific reference to the pressing need to effect changes to their school system and to reduce the average number of children per class; and if she will comment on the case of a person (details supplied) in County Galway. [15163/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued to all primary schools each year.

Data submitted to the Department by the Board of Management of the school referred to by the Deputy indicate that the enrolment in the school on 30th September 2005 was 49 pupils. In accordance with the staffing schedule (Circular 0023/2006), which is available on the Department's website at www.education.ie, the mainstream staffing in the school for the 2006/07 school year is a Principal and 2 mainstream class teachers.

According to data submitted to the Department by the Board of Management of the school, the enrolment in the school on 30th September 2006 was 44 pupils. In accordance with the staffing schedule (Circular 0020/2007), which is available on the Department's website at www.education.ie and by hard copy which issued to all primary schools, the mainstream staffing in the school for the 2007/08 school year will be a Principal and 1 mainstream class teacher.

Within the terms of the staffing arrangements for primary schools there is provision for additional posts, referred to as developing school posts, to be assigned to schools on the basis of projected enrolments for the next school year. Under these arrangements, a developing school post may be sanctioned provisionally where the projected enrolment at 30th September of the school year in question equals or exceeds a specified figure. If the specified figure is not achieved on 30th September, sanction for the post is withdrawn.

It is open to the Board of Management to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeal Board which was established to adjudicate on appeals on mainstream staffing allocations in primary schools. Details of the criteria and application dates for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule. They are also available in Circular 0024/2007 (Appeal Board for Mainstream Staffing in Primary Schools) which is available on my Department's website. Hard copies of this circular will issue to primary schools as soon as possible.

It is proposed that the first meeting of the Appeal Board will be held in May, 2007. Further meetings will be held in July and October, 2007. The closing dates for receipt of appeals are 11 May, 22 June and 12 October respectively. Appeals must be submitted to Primary Payments Section, Department of Education and Science, Athlone, on the standard application form, clearly stating the criterion under which the appeal is being made. The standard application form is available from Primary Payments Section or on the Department's website. The Appeal Board operates independently of the Minister and the Department and its decision is final. I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to intervene in the operation of the independent Appeal Board.

The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has been operational since 1st January 2005 and is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports. I understand that the pupil referred to by the Deputy attending the school in question is in receipt of 5 hours resource teaching support and shared access to a special needs assistant (SNA). In addition to this my Department has recently approved funding to the school for assistive technology for this pupil.