Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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491. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will allocate five hours learning support in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9029/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Since September 2012 the combined resources available for learning support (GAM/General Allocation Model at Primary) and language support (EAL) have been merged into a single simplified allocation process. A school's GAM/EAL allocation for the 2015/16 school year is based on its mainstream classroom posts for the 2014/15 school year. The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year were published last week. They are set out in Department Circular 0005/2015 which is available on my Department's website at www.education.gov.ie.

Schools can check their GAM/EAL allocation in Appendix C of Circular 0005/2015.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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492. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if extra resource teaching hours might be made available in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Kildare to meet the requirements of a child who has special educational needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9061/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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All primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to provide for children with special educational or learning support needs through general allocation processes.

Additionally, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates additional resource teaching hours to schools for children who have been assessed within the low incidence, or more complex, category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.

The Deputy will be aware that I announced recently that I am not proposing to change the way teachers are allocated to schools for children with Special Educational Needs for the coming school year.

As such, primary schools will continue to have an allocation of additional learning support for children with high incidence special educational needs through the General Allocation Model. In respect of children with low incidence special educational needs, schools have been asked to apply to the NCSE for Resource Teaching support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March, 2015.

Schools should provide support for pupils with newly diagnosed conditions from within their overall resource teaching and learning support allocations, pending completion of the 2015/16 allocation process. It is a matter for schools to monitor and utilise their allocation of additional teaching support to best support the needs of identified pupils, in accordance with my Department's guidance.

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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494. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the patronage process in place for a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and the timeframe for this process. [9131/15]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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506. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a site will be purchased for a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow;and if this school will be housed at a temporary location in the interim. [9236/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 494 and 506 together.

The first step in the establishment of the school in question is the determination of a patron to operate the school. This process, which is overseen by the New Schools Establishment Group, has commenced.

The closing date for the receipt of applications from Patrons and prospective Patrons is the 20th March 2015. I will announce the outcome of this process as soon as the application process is complete.

In the meantime, my Department is working to secure temporary start-up accommodation for the school.

My Department is also working with the local authority with a view to acquiring a site for permanent accommodation for the school. There are commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally and I am not in a position to provide further details at this time.