Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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206. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in a case where a post-primary school is over quota if the principal and Board of Management of that school have the discretion to decide the way learning support and resource teaching hours are allocated; his Department's circular/policy document that School Boards of Management must adhere to when allocating resource hours to mainstream teachers at post-primary level; the policy at post primary level that informs principals and Boards of Management how to give hours allocated to pupils with special needs to mainstream teachers instead of resource teachers; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a qualified resource teacher can lose their job as a result of the hours they should be teaching being given to a mainstream teacher because the school is in an over quota position. [33071/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Teacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing arrangements at post primary level for the 2013/14 school year have been published and are available on the Department website. In accordance with these rules each school management authority is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).

The deployment of teaching staff in the school, the range of subjects offered and ultimately the quality of teaching and learning are in the first instance a matter for the school management authorities.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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207. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in view of his decision to maintain the level of resource hours to those allocated in 2012/2013 the reason a college (details supplied) in Dublin 1 is receiving less resource hours for the new academic year starting in September 2013. [33072/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I assume the Deputy is referring to the allocation of additional Resource Teaching support for the school in question for the 2013/14 school year.

I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including the allocation of resource teaching support to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.

All schools were advised to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March 2013 and the NCSE has published details of Resource Teaching allocations for all schools on its website www.ncse.ie, based on the number of valid applications received.

I have authorised the NCSE to restore the level of resource teaching allocations which can be provided for students with special educational needs to 2012/13 levels. It is important to note, however, that schools are allocated resource teaching support in respect of pupils enrolled in the school who meet the criteria for the allocation of additional teaching support. A school's resource teaching allocation is subject to change over time therefore as pupils with special educational needs enrol or leave a school. The NCSE can only allocate resources in respect of pupils enrolled in school and for whom applications meet the criteria for the allocation of additional support.

It is open to schools to contact their SENO to discuss their application for resource teaching support using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.