Written answers

Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Department of Education and Skills

School Staffing

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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689. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of staff in the visiting teacher service; their job titles; the number of these who will transfer to the new inclusion support service within the National Council for Special Education; the number of these currently on sick or maternity leave; who have been replaced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14041/15]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Visiting Teacher Service for Children who are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually Impaired (VTHVI) has 43 fulltime teaching posts (29 teachers for the deaf/hard of hearing service and 14 teachers for the blind/visually impaired service). Currently, there are 41 teachers working fulltime and four teachers job-sharing in the VTHVI service. There are two members of the VTHVI service availing of leave and both teachers have been replaced for the duration of their absences.

On 10th February 2015, the establishment of a new Inclusion Support Service within the National Council for Special Education was announced to assist schools in supporting children with special education needs.

It is intended that the Inclusion Support Service will be operational from the coming school year. It is also intended, however, that the existing services will continue as normal as the new arrangements are put in place, with as little disruption as possible to service users, as progress is made to transfer these services to the NCSE.

Considerations with regard to the full staffing implications which may arise from the amalgamation of these bodies and the incorporation of the new Inclusion Support Service within the existing NCSE operational structures, are ongoing, and will be established during the course of the integration of the services.

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