Any special needs teacher losses ‘must be phased in’

Schools that lose special needs teachers under a new allocation system must have any cuts phased in, a principals’ leader warned.

Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan has yet to say if, and when, the revised model of deciding each primary school’s special teacher numbers is to be adopted.

The system, recommended last summer by the National Council for Special Education, would see the resources provided based on numbers of pupils with complex special needs, those scoring significantly below average on tests, the social context of families in the school, and gender mix.