New recommendations for allocation of special needs teachers
The National Council for Special Education has issued recommendations for the allocation of special needs teachers.
The new model has been developed in an effort to ensure that special needs teaching resources are targeted at children who need them most and it removes the need for medical assessments before resources are allocated.
It recommends that the educational profile of schools should take account of a number of considerations before special needs teachers are allocated, including the number of students with complex special educational needs.
Other areas to be examined are the percentage of students performing below a certain threshold on standardised test results and the social context of the school, including levels of disadvantage.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said his department will immediately begin to gather the necessary information to develop the new model.
