12,000 pupils waiting for psychological assessment

UP to 12,000 school children are awaiting assessment by an educational psychologist, according to a Fine Gael survey of primary and secondary schools.

Of the 424 schools surveyed, 25% said they were waiting more than nine months to have pupils assessed and some were waiting years.

"Students that require psychological assessment should be seen within one month of the assessment being requested, with six weeks being the maximum permitted waiting time," said Fine Gael's spokesperson on Education and Science, Olwyn Enright.