Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent)
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898. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills on learning supporting teachers in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Dublin, if the school will lose learning support teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41547/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that all primary schools currently receive an allocation for learning support/resource teaching under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to support children who have mild general learning difficulties or learning support needs. Over 4,200 Learning Support/Resource Teachers have been allocated to schools for this purpose. The GAM is updated annually, based on the number of mainstream teaching posts in schools in the previous school year, and is adjusted in accordance with fluctuations in this regard. The arrangements in this regard for 2014/15 are set out in my Department's Circular 0007/2014.

In addition, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates additional resource teaching hours to schools for children who have been assessed within the low incidence, or more complex, category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.

It is then a matter for schools to determine the manner in which support resources are utilised to provide additional teaching support to eligible pupils. Guidance to support schools in this regard is set out in my Departments Circular 02/05.

I also wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) published a Report on a Proposed New Model for Allocating Teachers for Students with Special Educational Needs on 18th June 2014.

The NCSE, consulted widely with education partners, representatives of the disability sector, stakeholders and parent representative groups, during the course of the development of this policy advice.

The report recommends that a new allocation model should be developed, based on a schools educational profile, while providing a baseline allocation to every mainstream school to support inclusion.

My Department is currently collecting information which will be required to develop the proposed new model. Pending consideration of this data no decision has been made as to the weightings which will be applied to the various elements of the proposed model.

Following consideration of this data, my Department will also consider whether, and from what date a new model might be implemented.

I also wish to advise the Deputy that following publication of the working group report, my Department invited education partners, stakeholders, and parent representative groups to make written submissions in relation to the NCSE report. 27 written submissions have been received to date, from interested parties.

My Department also held a number of consultation meetings on 1st and 3rd October last with stakeholders, education partners, and parent representative groups.

Consultation has been a key feature of the development of this policy advice to date and I can confirm that consultation will continue to take place at each stage of the development of proposals for any new model.