Every School Now Has Access To Educational Assessments For Their Pupils – Hanafin

“Since 2005, most primary school children with special needs do not need assessments in order to access extra teaching supports”, Minister Mary Hanafin told the Dáil during a private members debate this evening.

Nonetheless, all schools now have access to assessments, either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service or the Dublin VECs or by commissioning them from private psychologists whose fees will be paid by NEPS.

“Over 10,000 assessments were funded by the Department of Education in the 06/07 school year – 5,800 through NEPS and 4,400 through the private scheme”, Minister Hanafin pointed out.

The Government is committed to increasing the number of NEPS psychologists from 134 at present to 200 by 2009 and a recruitment process is currently underway.

The Minister also highlighted the dramatic increase in the number of staff working solely with children with special needs in recent years:

• There are now over 6,000 primary school teachers working directly with children with special educational needs compared with fewer than 1,500 in 1998.
• At post primary level, over 2,450 whole-time equivalent teachers support special needs students - compared with just 200 in 1998.
• And the number of Special Needs Assistants has increased from a mere 300 in 1998 to over 8,800 in 2007.
   

Jimmy Devins T.D., Minister of State at the Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children with responsibility for disabilities and mental health, outlined the work being done to improve access to speech and language services and to tackle the tragedy of youth suicide. 

To read the report click here: Private members NEPS