Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

While that may seem to be the Government's position, it is simply not good enough for the Minister to set it out in reply to a parliamentary question or in a statement in the Dáil. Both he and the previous Minister should have issued a direction to all schools that this practice simply cannot happen. There is a lack of oversight and children are being placed on reduced timetables behind closed doors. These children are being denied their constitutional right to education. We need immediate clarity from the Minister in the form of a directive to schools stating that this practice cannot continue.

When students are put on a reduced timetable, how are the teachers selected and what training do they have in teaching children with a disability or behavioural difficulties? Are there cases where teachers are not present and the burden is placed on special needs assistants?

With regard to the monitoring, assessment and oversight that are required, during a whole school evaluation of management, leadership and learning, WSE-MLL, or an incidental drive-by inspection, do inspectors ever ask whether there are children on a reduced timetable and if they can see how that is being managed? If that is not the case, these questions must be added to the list to ensure inspectors know when they visit schools that this needs to be checked immediately. Apart from finding out what is happening in CSPE, English, history, Irish or physical education, are inspectors asking if there are children on a reduced timetable? I suspect not but I want the matter clarified.

Has the Department of Education and Skills issued guidelines on this issue? In studies or research that have been done, what is the maximum number of weeks that a child has been deprived of education? Can a child remain on a reduced timetable indefinitely?

When schools decide to put a child on a reduced timetable, how do they decide what subjects the child should be exposed to? I presume they are completely excluded from PE, art, music and any other subject that has a social element. They will not get access to physical education despite the childhood obesity crisis, or access to art, music or woodwork because schools will definitely not want to let these children into woodwork class. Is that what is happening? What we are doing is appalling from the perspective of the full development and well-being of our children.

Are children on a reduced timetable completely excluded at break time? If they are in school between 9 a.m. and 12 noon, do they not go on a break with the other children between 11 a.m. and 11.15 a.m.? If not, has the impact of this been examined?

Have the views of teachers been established through anonymous surveys? Is there a question on this in the surveys of students and teachers that are conducted as part of a WSE-MLL? Teachers should be surveyed on whether a reduced timetable operates in their schools and, if so, how they think it is working for the benefit of the students. These questions need to be included. I do not believe reduced timetables should ever be used. That is the issue but if they are continuing, they need to be tackled straight away. To be clear, I am completely against reduced timetables.

Has the Department done any research? The Minister says reduced timetables should not be used but he has not issued a directive to schools to make sure they are not used. What alternatives are available for children? Have these been considered? What do other countries do when an issue arises with behavioural difficulties? Surely they do not remove a child's access to education or to specific subjects.

What percentage of students who have been put on reduced timetables return to the full timetable?

Is it just a way of eventually getting them out of the school because it becomes so difficult for parents in full-time employment to manage the phone calls to come and get the child? It also makes the children feel so much less part of the school community that they move away. Do we know whether those on a reduced timetable get counselling, even from the guidance counsellor? It is just wrong on so many levels. What we should get from shining a light on this today is that the Minister will write to schools to put an end to it and research will done on putting in place proper alternatives to give support to children with disabilities and children who enter school already having a feeling of alienation and segregation, which is made worse by putting them in a room on their own without proper educational supports. The answer to how it is monitored or assessed seems to be that it is not. What can we do?