Union: Pupils will lose out over changes to learning support

SCHOOLS may lose special teaching hours next autumn, it has been claimed.

A union said red tape could see teachers driving between schools instead of being in class.

The Department of Education last month announced reforms to the way it allocates learning support and resource teachers who work with children with common learning difficulties such as dyslexia or those who need extra help with reading and maths.

For almost a decade, primary schools have been given such staff based on pupil numbers, taking into account factors such as if a school has high numbers of disadvantaged children.

This general allocation model is being changed from the autumn, when the number of special needs teachers will be determined by the number of classes instead of pupils.

The National Council for Special Education’s approval will still be needed for resource teaching hours for children with certain special educational needs, including autism; emotional disturbance; behaviour problems; significant physical or sensory impairment; and moderate, severe or profound general learning disability. Under current arrangements, the same teacher could be hired to provide for both sets of pupils.

At a four-classroom school, for example, a special teacher could be employed for 20 hours a week under the general allocation system. He or she could be employed full-time if the school was also approved by the NCSE for at least five hours a week of resource teaching for special needs pupils.

But as the NCSE sanctions resource-teaching hours later in the school year, the department says schools can no longer combine their allocations into full-time posts.

Neighbouring schools will be expected to share their combined allocation of special teachers, with almost 2,500 resource teachers sanctioned by the NCSE also to be shared separately among schools.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation said it was inundated with complaints from schools as teachers would be forced unnecessarily to work at a number of schools.

Ann Kearns, principal of An Grianán National School near Moate, Co Westmeath, said her school stands to gain teaching hours under the new system. “But instead of children getting extra teaching, the hours would be lost in time spent by teachers having to travel to different schools.”

The department said it was premature for the union to speculate on the impact of the change as schools would be free to organise shared teachers in a way that avoids impacting on teaching time.