Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 112 of 15 November 2012, if a person (details supplied) in County Cavan will receive additional resource hours despite the fact that they have not been able to qualify because of an absence of a diagnosis by the Child Adolescent and Psychiatry Services because of issues surrounding the waiting list; if there is provision for exceptional cases where a person can qualify for resource hours outside of the deadline and allocation period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52000/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to advise the Deputy that all schools, including the school attended by the pupil in question, are in receipt of learning support/resource teaching support under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM), as outlined in my previous reply of 15 November, 2012 to the Deputy. The GAM allocations for all primary schools were updated this year, for the 2012/13 school year.

An essential principle of the GAM is that the teaching resources which are made available to schools under the model should be allocated to pupils by the school taking into account the learning needs of those pupils. Pupils with the highest level of need will, therefore have the highest level of support. It is a matter for schools to monitor and utilise their allocation of resource teaching support, including supports allocated under the GAM, to best support the needs of identified pupils, in accordance with my Department's guidance.

In circumstances where a child may be awaiting a diagnosis, learning support or resource teaching support can still be provided for that child from a school's general allocation of resource teaching/learning support provision, taking into account the needs of the child, pending formal diagnosis. In the event of a low incidence disability diagnosis being forthcoming, an application may be made to the NCSE by the school for a low incidence resource allocation.

My Department encourages parents and school authorities to engage locally regarding pupils' education. A parent who has concerns regarding the level of teaching support that their child is receiving in school should raise this with the school authorities in the first instance.