Written answers

Tuesday, 28 June 2011

Department of Education and Skills

School Staffing

8:00 pm

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 179: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a school (details supplied) in Dublin 8, having lost it's special class has been informed that it will not be sanctioned for a full-time resource teacher; his views on the concerns of parents, teaching staff and the wider community that this will have a detrimental effect particularly on those children with special needs but also for all pupils in the school; if he will allow the school to appoint a full-time resource teacher thereby allowing the school which has established a positive reputation for integrating children with special needs to maintain its current staffing level. [17219/11]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports. This includes the allocation of Resource Teaching hours to schools as well as the establishment of special classes and the discontinuation of such classes where the need no longer exists.

I understand that with regard to the school referred to by the Deputy, that the class for pupils with Mild General Learning Disability (MGLD) in the school will not be sanctioned by the NCSE for the coming school year, as the school does not have the minimum number of pupils required to retain such a class.

In relation to the allocation of individual Resource Teaching support, Departmental Circulars 30/2011 and 37/2011 provide information to schools regarding the arrangements which are being put in place for the 2011/12 school year.

For the coming 2011/12 school year, an allocation of 90% of valid identified resource teaching allocations has been made to schools, in the first instance, to provide schools with the majority of their allocation, while also preserving enough capacity to deal with late applications and to ensure that the DES can remain within Employment Control Framework obligations

Schools have been asked to forward any outstanding applications, or additional outstanding materials to support incomplete applications, to the NCSE for their consideration, as soon as possible, but in any event by no later than 16th September 2011. Having considered all of the outstanding applications received from schools by September 16th, depending on the level of demand, the NCSE may be in a position to revisit the 90% allocation of Resource Teaching hours made to date for schools.

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