Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

108. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has considered increasing the availability of Irish phonics resources to assist students with dyslexia studying Irish; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40158/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs.

It is important to recognise that teachers use a number of specialist programmes to support students with special educational needs. At all times, the focus of the department and the NCSE is on doing what is right for the child and underpinning any educational interventions with evidence-based approaches. For that reason, the department does not promote one particular approach for meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and recognises that children with dyslexia or literacy difficulties may benefit most where a range of teaching approaches is employed by the class teachers.

The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has developed guidance documents for primary and post-primary schools on Supporting Students with Literacy Difficulties/Dyslexia using the Continuum of Support model. These are designed to equip schools with knowledge of approaches and strategies required to support students who experience difficulties with literacy, using a response to intervention approach, in all school contexts.

The NCSE also provides support for teachers with training needs in special education, through the NCSE support service which manages, co-ordinates and develops a range of supports in response to identified teacher training needs. This support service provides Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) to teachers of students with a variety of special educational needs. The NCSE continues to update current TPL courses for teachers and designs new TPL courses in response to the needs of teachers.

My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.