Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the three sets of witnesses for taking the time to appear before the committee today to discuss this issue. There are a few matters on which I seek their comments. I will direct this question at the NCSE in the main. I am interested in finding out what sort of lessons it expects to get from the new pilot model that has been established and in which I understand 20 schools are taking part. A key concern schools have expressed regarding the change proposed by the 2014 report of the working group chaired by Eamon Stack is that it may mean some schools will end up with fewer resources while other schools will have more. If the overall number remains the same but the method of distributing the resources is different, then if some gain, others may lose. Nevertheless, there will be no change of resources for the schools that are taking part in the pilot model. Consequently, I am interested in ascertaining what will be the key lessons from this pilot. I am sure some will be valuable. In addition, how can the main concern raised, which pertains to the subsequent changing of resources, be allayed by a pilot model that does not include those types of change?

While primary and secondary schools have been discussed, I seek the comments of the three sets of witnesses on the post-secondary school situation. I acknowledge that this is not necessarily something the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, NAPD, would deal with directly but, that said, there is now a massive gap there. Positive progress has been seen over the past ten or 15 years in mainstreaming children with special educational needs at primary and secondary levels. This has been a positive experience and development for those with special educational needs. At present, however, once such people turn 18 and leave the secondary school environment in which they were with their peers and were given additional assistance required to support them, in many cases no follow-on service is available that is appropriate to their needs. Many such people attend day-care facilities from the age of 18, where they are with people of all age groups. From my experience, the training and experience there is in no way representative of or similar to the type of life experience they have had through their teenage years. This is traumatic for the children concerned and is highly traumatic for their parents. There is a big gap in our system in this regard. I would be interested in hearing the witnesses' feedback on this matter.

As for the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, the NAPD in particular referred to how one might get two to three assessments for a school of 600 students. The representatives of the NAPD should flesh out this point in further detail and outline how that is having an impact. In addition, I welcome any comments witnesses may have on the capacity planning for special autism units attached to schools.

I have come across several cases where there is no capacity. There is an excessive demand but we do not seem to be trying to build it into the system and future planning, so that it is available for students when they require it.

The witnesses might also comment on part-time students. I heard of a primary school which was taking a student for 2.5 hours a day because the child had behavioural issues. How does that work and what type of supports should be put in place to enable schools to do that? Can they decide to take a student for only a small part of the day rather than full-time?