Nicky McFadden (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a child with Down Syndrome can automatically qualify for resource hours and a special needs assistant to help them progress through mainstream school; his views on the importance of ensuring that children with Down Syndrome are provided with the necessary resources and assistance in order that they can participate and develop in an inclusive educational system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9012/13]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason children with Down Syndrome do not automatically qualify for resource hours in our national schools. [9170/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 127 together.

The Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including those with Down syndrome, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. The policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, or where a special school or special class placement may be required to ensure such placements are provided for.

Pupils with Down syndrome attending mainstream schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, if the pupil's educational psychological assessment places the pupil in the mild general learning disability/high incidence disability category, or through an allocation of individual additional resource teaching hours which are allocated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), if the child is assessed as being within the low incidence category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05.

Pupils with Down syndrome who have care needs may also receive access to Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates a quantum of SNA support for each school annually taking into account the care needs of all of the qualifying children enrolled in the school, and on the basis of the assessed care needs of the children, rather than solely by reference to a pupil's disability categorisation.

I have asked the National Council for Special Education to provide me with policy advice on the issue of whether Down syndrome should be reclassified as a low incidence disability in all instances, regardless of assessed cognitive ability. This advice will be included in the NCSE’s comprehensive policy advice on how the education system can best support children with special educational needs which is currently in preparation and which is expected in the coming months.

All schools have been advised to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching or SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March 2013 and schools will then be notified by Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) of their resource teaching allocation for 2013/14, based on the number of valid applications received.

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.