All children with Down syndrome to get resource teaching hours
In a rare political move, Finian McGrath’s bill will be allowed proceed to committee stage when it comes before the Dáil on Friday, meaning Fine Gael or Labour TDs will not be called to vote it down as happens with most non-government legislation.
Most children with Down syndrome in mainstream primary schools qualify under Department of Education rules for weekly hours of one-to-one resource teaching in addition to classroom teaching, but only because they either have a moderate learning disability or they also have another qualifying disability. For 20 to 30 more who start school each year but who have a mild learning disability, special needs teaching comes from set hours each school must share out to all pupils with less severe learning difficulties.
