Primary and Secondary Supports
Resource teachers are additional posts which are allocated to assist a school or cluster of schools in providing education which meets the needs of children assessed as having disabilities. As well as providing additional teaching support, they will advise and liaise with other teachers, parents and relevant professionals in the childrens interests. A resource teacher can also advise and explore alternative teaching strategies with the class teacher and the use of special equipment to support the student in their learning if required. Resource teachers are allocated were there are a number of children with special educational needs arising from a disability who are fully integrated into mainstream education. Child eligibility and degree of need are established based on assessments carried out by appropriate professionals eg National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).
Learning Support, formerly known as Remedial Education, includes both teaching and non-teaching duties. The principle role of the Learning Support teacher is to provide supplementary teaching to students with special education needs. This may take place on an individual basis, inside or outside the classroom, or in small groups. In addition to this, their role also includes collaborating and co-ordinating with colleagues and parents in the planning and implementation of learning support strategies. The learning support teacher is often shared between schools.
Special needs assistants are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with disabilities in an educational context and may be appointed to a special school or mainstream national school on a full or part-time basis. The duties of a special needs assistant are specifically of a non-teaching nature and may include tasks such as assisting with clothing, feeding, toileting, travelling to and from school, and general assistance to the class teacher. Where a special needs assistant has been appointed to assist a school in catering for a specific pupil, the duties will be modified to support the particular needs of the pupil concerned.
For more information, contact:
Special Education Section 1
Department of Education and Science
Cornamaddy
Athlone
Co Westmeath
Tel: 0902-74621 or 01-873 4700
Fax: 0902-76939
Website: www.education.ie
The Visiting Teacher Service of the Department of Education and Science provides a service to young children with visual and/or hearing impairment, from the age of two years. Visiting teachers advise schools (including pre-schools) on suitable teaching methods and classroom management strategies to support pupils with visual and/or hearing impairment in mainstream schools. They conduct assessments, give advice in relation to equipment commonly used by the visually and/or hearing impaired (eg Braille printers, hearing aids, computers and/or other assistive technology) and advise on additional personnel resources, when needed. Teachers can also advise schools on any necessary adaptations to the school environment required by the child with visual and/or hearing impairment. Before a child may participate in the visiting teacher service, he or she must be referred for assessment by the service. Referral of a child for assessment by the Visiting Teacher Service can be requested by parents, schools, the Health Services Executive etc. There is no charge for an assessment or to avail of the service and it is open to all children living in Ireland from diagnosis through to third level education.
Where childrens needs cannot be met by the allocation of extra resources within the mainstream school, then they may be placed in special classes or special schools. These have a maximum pupil-teacher ratio of 8:1 (in many cases the ratio is lower). Special needs assistant support is provided where required. Children may transfer from special schools to special classes attached to mainstream primary schools or to mainstream classes. Children need a review assessment before transferring. The reviews are necessary so that the resource teaching and/or special needs assistants can be provided.
There is a School Transport for Children With Special Needs service available, including an escort service available for students with special needs enrolled in Special Schools or Special Classes in Primary Schools. Bus Eireann operates the school transport service on behalf of the Department of Education and Science. The school principal submits an application for transport on behalf of the student to the Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) assigned with responsibility for the school. If unhappy with the decision in relation to the transport services, it can be appealed to an independent appeals board. Appeals forms are available from the school or from the local Bus Eireann School Transport Office.
When special transport cannot be provided, a transport grant can be made to the parents/guardian of the child to assist with the cost of making private transport arrangements.
For more information, contact:
Department of Education and Science
School Transport Section
Portlaoise Road
Tullamore
Co Offaly
Tel: 0506-24351/2/3/4/5/6
Home Tuition may be provided for children who are unable to attend school on a regular basis because of a serious medical problem or for children who are waiting to be allocated a suitable school place. An application form for home tuition must be completed and submitted to the Department of Education and Science, and if approved, the payment is given directly to the parents or guardian to appoint an appropriate home tutor.
For more information, contact:
Department of Education and Science
Home Tuition Section
Cornamaddy
Athlone
Co Westmeath
Tel: 090-648 3754
Students in secondary schools in Ireland with special needs may have special arrangements made for them while sitting State examinations ie Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate examinations. Candidates with disabilities can apply through their school for reasonable accommodation during examinations.
Examples of reasonable accommodation may include:
- the provision of enlarged and/or Braille versions of questions for visually impaired students
- using voice-activated software, tape recorders or scribes (other people to do the writing)
- doing the examination in a hospital or in any other stand-alone centre
- getting extra time to complete the examination
- being exempted from the aural part of the examination (for pupils that are deaf or hard of hearing)
Students with special needs may also apply to have part of a State examination waived and to be marked out of 100% on the balance of the paper. The national marking schemes for the subjects concerned are organised in such a way to ensure that students with special needs have the same opportunity to score full marks regardless of the exempted parts of the paper.
Where alternative assessment procedures are used or where a candidate gets an exemption from an element of the work in the subject, there may be an explanatory note on the certificate awarded. Candidates will be informed about this when applying for an exemption.
More information on the state examination arrangements for students with disabilities is available from the State Examinations Commission.
