Teachers ‘should get special needs training’

Teacher training programmes should be overhauled to better prepare those who are working with children with special education needs, according to a study.

Research conducted on behalf of the National Parents and Siblings Alliance argues that while there are approximately 2,300 teachers trained to work with pupils with Special Education Needs (SEN), “Based on the estimated prevalence of SEN in Irish children, all teachers should be trained to work with pupils with SEN”.

The research, which analyses data from a number of existing reports, states that between 2006 and 2012, more than 12,000 primary school teachers and 8,000 post-primary teachers were trained in Ireland.