TEACHING supports for special needs children have been cut by 10 per cent in a move condemned by the teachers’ union the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO).
The decision will see schools given only 90 per cent of the teaching hours needed to meet the independently assessed special needs of pupils.
In practical terms this will mean that a school which had 25 teaching hours for special needs children this year will have 2.5 hours less – and will have to teach the same children in 22.5 hours.
The INTO said the decision places schools in the very difficult position of having to explain to parents of children with special needs why schools would not be able to provide the level of support recommended by psychologists, psychiatrists and speech therapists.
The union said the move was another example of cuts being imposed on the most needy pupils such as Travellers, the disadvantaged and special needs pupils.
But the department said it would mean a reduction of six minutes per hour, for each hour of resource teaching allocated. Schools could, it said, make up additional time through grouping of children, doubling of children and by more effective management of teaching time.
Further explaining the move last night, the department admitted the allocation process for special needs resource teachers was “paused” from the end of March of this year.
This, it said, was because the rate of applications for resource teacher posts had the potential to cause a breach of teacher numbers under the public service jobs embargo – even though the department had allowed for a projected increase in student numbers.
The department said it had decided to allocate 90 per cent of the schools’ identified resource teacher needs in the first instance, in order to meet the majority of their demands.
But it said it also was mindful of the need to remain within the public service employment controls and with the need to cover late or emergency applications and any redeployment gaps that might arise.
If the level of demand turned out to be less than expected, the initial 90 per cent allocation could be revisited and increased, it said last night.
The department said the move ensures that all schools and all teachers in receipt of resource teaching support would be treated the same. It needed to ensure fairness and equity in the allocation of resource teachers, it said.
The number of resource teachers has increased from 9,600 to an expected 9,950 by September.
The INTO maintains this is driven by population growth and increased demand from pupils with speech and language difficulties.
General secretary Sheila Nunan said schools which were inclusive in their approach would be worst affected. She warned ultimately all children would be affected by this decision. “Inclusion in primary schools needs adequate resourcing.
“Parents enrol special needs children in primary schools to be educated,” she said. “If a school is not given the most basic of educational resources, a teacher, then inclusion will not work.”
