Quinn defers decision on extra resources for pupils with Down’s syndrome

Dozens of children with Down’s syndrome will fall further behind after Ruairi Quinn, the education minister, deferred any decision that would give them automatic entitlement to additional teaching, a campaign group claims.

The minister agreed in June to consider the case raised on behalf of children with Down’s syndrome who have a mild general learning disability, but no other disability.

They depend on a share of their school’s general allocation of resource teaching hours for all children with common learning difficulties. But those who have Down’s syndrome and a moderate general learning disability, or who have another disability, qualify automatically for a set weekly level of one-to-one resource teaching.