Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

483. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of resource teachers in both primary and post-primary schools, each year for the past five years; the number of pupils in receipt of resource hours each year for the past five years; the average period of time each pupil receives; and the annual cost of resource hours for the past five years. [17555/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to advise the Deputy that this Government has significantly increased the overall number of resource teaching posts available to schools in recent years.

Some 480 additional resource teaching posts were provided for the 2014/15 school year and an additional 480 posts have been made available for the 2015/16 year, in order to meet growing demand from schools for low incidence special educational needs support.

The total number of resource teaching posts available for allocation to the end of 2015 is 6,705, which is more than at any time previously.

These increases, building on increases which have already been provided in recent years, have ensured that we now have more special needs support teachers in our schools than ever before, and will ensure that children with special educational needs can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs. It will also ensure that where particular demand arises, due to demographic growth or to increased need, that this demand will continue to be met.

The specific information requested by the Deputy is provided in the table.

In relation to the average period of time each pupil receives, please note that additional teaching resources are allocated to schools for the support of individual pupils with low incidence special educational needs. The various categories of low incidence disability are listed in DES Circular 02/05.

Such additional allocations of resource teaching hours for pupils who have been assessed with low incidence special educational needs, however, are not made directly to individual pupils, but are made to schools to support such children.

Once the hours are allocated to schools, it is a matter for the school to manage and utilise these hours to support the pupils concerned, in line with DES guidance as set out in Circular 02/05. Some of the time may be used for team teaching, to provide additional support in the classroom for that pupil, or through additional teaching in small groups. As such, the time allocated to individual pupils is managed by schools.

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

484. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide, in tabular format, the number of special needs assistants in both primary and post-primary schools, each year for the past five years; the number of pupils in receipt of such hours each year for the past five years; and the annual cost for the past five years. [17558/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to advise the Deputy that there are now more Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) available for allocation than ever before. This Government committed, as part of the budget announcements made last year, to provide for 365 new Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts to support children with special educational needs in schools in 2015. This increase is additional to the increase of 390 posts which this Government announced in December 2013, which had raised the previous cap from 10,575 available SNA posts to 10,965 posts.

The total number of SNAs available for allocation in 2015 is therefore now 11,330 posts, which is the highest number of SNAs available for allocation that we have ever had. This will ensure that children with special educational care needs can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.

The information requested by the Deputy has been provided in the table.