SPECIAL-EDUCATION teachers are strongly of the opinion that the pupil-teacher ratio for integrated classes should be altered to take account of the additional needs of the integrated pupils.

They also call for proper support services. A child of five, the teachers say, may do well in an integrated class - but as he or she gets older, the gap may widen; the child then needs more attention than the teacher may be able to supply. Insufficient psychological services and access to speech therapy are also cited.

The proposal in the White Paper that a number of ordinary schools will be designated as centres where students with particular disabilities may be educated is broadly welcomed. But resources must be cent red in those schools, teachers say.

The teachers, who shared their concerns with E&L at the recent INTO special-education conference, are also worried that parents might see these schools as replacements for special schools. Parents who are in favour of integration might prefer not to send their children to designated schools.

The issue of multi-disability schools was also to the fore in discussion groups at the conference. The White Paper proposes that existing special schools will fulfil an expanded role as schools dealing with a variety of disabilities. The White Paper's plans for the future were already in operation in many cases, teachers said - but without the necessary adjustments in the pupil-teacher ratios. Where two pupil-teacher ratios might be deemed to apply, it was the higher one that was usually chosen, they claimed.

At present, children in special schools remain there throughout their compulsory education. These schools are traditionally regarded as primary schools, though the young people attending may be 16 or 17 years of age. A number of teachers say it would be better for the self-esteem of these older pupils if appropriate second-level courses were available.

However, according to John Carr, assistant general secretary of the INTO, some educators argue that all-age schools provide a better use of facilities and resources, including staff, than is possible in separate primary and post-primary schools. "More importantly, they tend to provide continuity of education and stability for their pupils.

"On the other hand, there is a tendency to look at all-age schools as extended primary schools, with the result that the opportunities which are available to older pupils may be unduly limited."