Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 190: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if Special Education Circular 02/05 will be revised to ensure that children with specific special needs or with a mild general learning disability in mainstream primary schools will receive continuous full-time special needs assistance and low incidence teaching hours; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15569/08]

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

As the Deputy is aware, my Department implemented a general allocation system of learning support/resource teachers to mainstream primary schools in September 2005. The system provides teaching resources to schools to enable them to cater for children with high-incidence special education needs such as borderline mild general learning disability and mild general learning disability and specific learning disability. The allocation is also intended to support those with learning support needs, that is, those functioning at or below the tenth percentile on a standardised test of reading and/or mathematics.

The system allows schools to respond quickly and effectively to the individual needs of children with special educational needs. The system facilitates flexibility in the delivery of interventions by schools in allowing for individualised tuition, group work, in-class support or a combination of these interventions, whichever is considered the most appropriate for the child in question. In circumstances where a child has low incidence needs, this automatically attracts an individual resource teaching allocation. Reference is made in Circular SP ED 02/05 to the deployment of additional teaching resources that are allocated to schools for the support of individual pupils with low incidence disabilities. I have no immediate plans to revise Circular SP ED 02/05.

When the general allocation model commenced, a commitment was given to carry out a review after three years of operation. This review was initiated recently and my Department has sought the views of the Education Partners concerning the model's operation. Special Needs Assistant support in schools is intended to address the care needs of pupils with special educational needs. Decisions regarding the extent of such support in each particular case are based on the care needs of the individual child.