Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

469. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in the event of parents being forced to pay for the hiring of a teacher to provide extra instruction to primary school children with a diagnosis of Dyslexia, whether through the Dyslexia Association or otherwise, her plans to cover the cost of hiring such teachers, where there is a clear educational advantage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38973/15]

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

I wish to advise the Deputy that all mainstream Primary schools have been allocated significant additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including Specific Learning Disability (SLD), of which dyslexia is one such SLD.

All Post Primary schools have also been allocated additional teaching resources for pupils with high incidence special educational needs, including SLDs. It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgment 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.

Schools are not required to apply directly to my Department for learning support for SLDs such as dyslexia. Schools should 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. My Departments Circulars SP ED 02/05 and 70/2014 provide guidelines for primary and post

primary schools respectively in relation to the utilisation of additional teaching resources which have been allocated to them for pupils with special educational needs.

As the allocation of support for pupils with SLDs is managed locally by schools, a parent who feels that their child requires additional learning support in school should raise this matter directly with their school Principal in the first instance, or with the Board of Management of the school. My Department does not provide funding for additional teaching, or tutor support, procured by parents outside of school time, or outside of the criteria set out in my Departments Home Tuition scheme.

In addition to support in mainstream schools, my Department provides funding for a number of special schools and special classes attached to mainstream primary schools which have been sanctioned to meet the needs of children with SLDs. There are 4 Special Schools and 12 Special Classes attached to mainstream Primary schools catering for pupils with SLD.

Further supports which are provided to support pupils with Dyslexia include funding for schools for the purchase of specialised equipment; an information resource pack on Dyslexia which has been made available to all primary and post-primary schools as well as provision for continuing professional development for teachers with additional training needs in the area of Dyslexia through the Special Education Support Service (SESS).

Primary schools also have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA).

Finally, I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department also provides funding to the Dyslexia Association of Ireland at national level which helps the organisation operate an information service for members and the public as well as assisting in meeting the costs associated with the attendance of some children from disadvantaged backgrounds at workshops and programmes organised

by the association. Fees charged by the organisation to its service users are a matter between the organisation and its membership.