Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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500. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the learning support provided for a pupil (details supplied) in County Meath to ensure the support reaches the 30 minutes per day recommended; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27260/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that all schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including Specific Learning Disability (SLD), of which Dyscalculia is one such Specific Learning Disability.

All mainstream Primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including SLDs. It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgement to identify pupils who will receive this support and to use the resources available to the school to intervene at the appropriate level with such pupils. Schools are supported in this regard by the National Educational Psychological Services.

My Department has provided guidelines for schools in relation to the utilisation of additional teaching resources which have been allocated to them for pupils with high incidence special educational needs. These include Circular SpEd 02/05 and the National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS) Continuum of Support Guidelines.

It is a matter for schools to then monitor and utilise their allocation of additional teaching support to best support the needs of identified pupils, in accordance with my Department's guidance. The teaching time afforded to each individual pupil is decided and managed by schools, taking into account each child's individual learning needs.

I would advise, in the first instance, that if the parents of the child have specific concerns about her educational progress or are dissatisfied with the manner in which the resources or facilities which have been provided to support their child's education are being applied in school, they should raise this matter directly with their school Principal or the Board of Management of the school, with a view to raising these concerns with the assigned NEPS psychologist.