Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 468: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will support the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 17; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26424/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department funds learning support/resource teacher posts in schools to enable the provision of support for pupils with high incidence special needs including dyslexia. Grant assistance is not provided in such cases.

Each primary school has an allocation of learning support teaching hours. It is a matter for the school authorities to determine how these hours are utilised to support eligible pupils with high incidence special education and learning support needs. Research shows that some pupils with learning needs will respond better with one-to-one tuition. Others, however, do better when taught in small groups. Often it is best for resource/learning support teachers to work with pupils in the classroom rather than taking them away to a separate room, as the pupils then have to catch up on work done by the rest of the class in their absence. My Department issued a comprehensive circular, SP ED 02/05 to schools which provides guidelines and advice on the manner in which they should use the resources that have been allocated to them to best effect.