Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask about a relevant matter, namely, special education. Students who have special educational needs and are approaching the age of 18 years will leave school next June. The situation has improved for the majority, in that the stipulation is that they should know where they are going by the end of June, but in order to prepare them, they need access to science and other subjects. This should be taken into consideration. There should be relevant and proper preparation for leaving school. When I made inquiries recently about when a liaison was supposed to visit, I was told November. For someone with special needs, being told in November that he or she will be leaving school as soon as next year is too great a leap. There must be a transition, starting when children are 14 or 15 years of age, so that they can get ready and know. Vulnerable children will be leaving school in June. They will go from being cocooned in a school setting to day service and so on. It is important that parents have this information. Not enough information is being made available or preparation being done, be it through job coaches or someone in the school.