IPPN

Published: 01 July 2004

The DES issued a Press Release today Thursday, re new SEN Allocation System. As it contains direct implications for schools the statement is being sent to you in this E-scéal - see below.

During the next few days the IPPN Executive will examine this Press Release and circulate professional guidance on the relevant issues.

Is Mise Le Meas,
Seán Cottrell
Director

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PRESS RELEASE

Dempsey Approves Special Needs Allocation System

18th June 2004

The Minister for Education and Science, Noel Dempsey T.D., has approved the allocation of an additional 350 teaching posts for special needs and a new system for the allocation of resources for special needs in primary schools.

The new system will involve a general weighted allocation for all primary schools to cater for pupils with higher incidence special needs, those with learning support needs, borderline mild and mild general learning disability and dyslexia. It will also allow for individual allocations in respect of pupils with more acute needs.

The general weighted allocation system will greatly reduce the need for individual applications and supporting psychological assessments and will put resources in place on a more systematic basis, thereby giving schools more certainty over their resource levels. This will allow for better planning in schools, greater flexibility in identifying and intervening earlier with regard to pupils' special needs, as well as making the posts more attractive to qualified teachers.

The previous allocation system placed significant demands on principals, teachers and psychologists. It has also proven to be time-consuming, thereby delaying the allocation of resources for special needs. "We had to take action to reform the system and I believe that the model we are now introducing will, over time, significantly improve the capacity of the system to cater for children with special needs in a speedier, more effective way," said Minister Dempsey. "The revised system will reduce the administrative burden on schools and allow them to concentrate on the delivery of services to pupils with special needs. It will also allow psychologists to devote more time to advising teachers on planning for individual children and for whole school provision," added the Minister.

The revised system will have regard to the fact that there appears to be a greater incidence of disabilities in boys. It is also weighted in favour of the most disadvantaged schools. It will mean that every school will be given an allocation for pupils in the higher incidence disability categories without having to submit individual applications. As has been practice hitherto in relation to learning support teachers, the Department will be clustering small schools together to enable the allocation of full-time posts.

In the most disadvantaged schools (over 240 schools), a teacher of pupils with special needs will be allocated for every 80 pupils to cater for the subset of pupils with higher incidence special needs. In all boys schools, the ratio will be one teacher for every 140 pupils, in mixed schools one for every 150 pupils and in all girls schools one for every 200 pupils. In addition, all schools will be able to apply for separate specific allocations in respect of pupils with lower incidence disabilities.

The Department of Education and Science will now communicate with schools in relation to their allocations. Permission will be given to fill all specific allocations immediately. The general weighted allocations will be filled following the determination of clustering and reallocation arrangements. To ease the transition to the new system, the Department has already agreed not to redeploy teachers from full-time posts via the panel redeployment process.

Ends