The INTO last night welcomed a new agreement on the provision of special needs education at primary level next year.
Following a meeting between the union and the Department of Education and Science, it was agreed that special education staffing in primary schools is to be maintained, at a minimum, at current levels.
However, the proposed new weighted system for special needs provision at primary level will not now be implemented fully until September 2005, although new special education appointments will be considered on this basis from next year.
Once introduced, the weighted system will mean schools will no longer be allocated teaching resources on the basis of individual assessments of children.
Instead, schools will be given a quota of special-needs assistants, teachers and resource teachers.
In a press statement, the INTO said any outstanding applications would be processed "as a matter of urgency". All of the 350 recently announced new resource teachers would be allocated according to this weighted model.
The news that agreement has been reached on how special needs provision at primary level will work from next year follows last week's strong attack by the INTO on delays by the department in introducing the system.
Mr John Carr, general secretary of the union, said that with six weeks to go until the school year's end, many schools were unaware of the staffing they would need to meet their special needs requirements.
The department will also meet with the INTO over the coming weeks to discuss how the new weighted model will work, and will seek to take account of gender and disadvantage.
This will come as a particular relief to schools in disadvantaged areas, such as Ballymun in Dublin, where teachers have said that the application of a "one-size-fits-all" approach is unfair.
Mr Carr last night welcomed the fact that a "major crisis" in special education had been averted. However, the INTO would continue to campaign on the issue of special needs, as it believed there was a need for 1,000 extra teachers to fully address the problem.
A Department of Education spokesman confirmed that discussions took place with the INTO on the issues outlined in its statement.
Afterwards, the department had agreed to take these issue fully into account in trying to perfect the proposed new model.
However, Mr John White, acting general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, last night said there was a need for a new focus on the provision of special needs resources at second level.
While it was understandable that the department had concentrated on the system at primary level, it was important to remember that those pupils were also transferring to second level.