Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am the last speaker. We have gone slightly over time. We have tried to keep this meeting inside the two hours. I will make a few points. I speak as a parent with personal knowledge. I have also served on the board of management of Ardscoil Phádraig in Granard in north Longford, which has three special classes. Mr. Kearney will know it. It was one of the first schools in the midlands to have a special class. As Deputy McHugh said, these classes are at the heart of the school and that is where they need to be. They must be in the school and not, by any means, in an outside setting. Other students in schools derive great benefits from working with the students in the special classes.

Section 37 was mentioned. I am fully in favour of what has happened in recent days concerning the naming of the schools in the context of this section. We cannot have a situation where schools are not in favour of having special classes on their grounds. We cannot have a situation where children must leave their local communities and travel to special classes. I discussed this issue with parents in Athlone this morning, an area local to my own. Parents have had to book a place for their children in a school that is 55 km away. It means a round trip of 110 km daily, five days a week. We have a school system where it is necessary to go to the nearest school to avail of school transport. Yet children with special needs must instead go to the nearest school that is actually available to them. I fully support section 37 and its use and the Minister of State with special responsibility in this area, Deputy Madigan, mentioning section 67 of the Education Act 1998, as amended.

We must have a situation where children are educated with their siblings in their local communities. This means I am fully in favour of, and this is something I will be proposing to the NCSE and to the Department, doing an audit of every school at primary and post-primary levels to ask them if they are willing to have special classes. Those results need to be put up on the Department’s website. We need there to be a special class in every school in the country, if there is a need in local areas. We should not have to invoke legislation or be discussing bringing in emergency legislation. It is a disgrace that we must do this. We must do it, though, because some schools are not willing to have special classes. It is totally wrong. We need an inclusive education system so that all children, as I said before, can be educated with their siblings in their local community. We should ensure we do not again have a situation like the one we have today, where parents do not know what schools their children will be in next September. This situation is prevalent in numerous areas we have mentioned, including Dublin and Cork. As I said, in my local area, in Athlone, eight children must travel up to 55 km return daily. This is happening in 2022 and it is unacceptable.

I fully support the school inclusion model mentioned in the context of the CHO 7 area. This is the way forward. Speech and language therapy and occupational therapy must be available in the school setting, rather than children having to go out to clinical settings for these appointments. This is the way forward. The ability of SNAs to change courses daily must also be implemented. This move can only benefit kids. I have seen the benefits of early intervention for children. This is the stage at which it needs to be done, at that younger age. I have also seen the benefits of using music therapy.

Music therapy should be rolled out more. I have seen the benefit it has for children's speech. It is amazing the difference it can make. We referenced the July provision and the summer provision a number of times. As Deputy O'Sullivan just mentioned, the reality is that the children it was set up for are not benefiting from it at all currently because a significant number of schools, including special schools, are not making the summer provision available. This year, we had to give financial incentives to schools to provide summer provision for children that are entitled to get it. Children will regress over the summer if they do not get support, but we are struggling to get staff and schools to come on board. Summer provision must be mandatory throughout the summer term.

We have it in our work programme that we will have discussions with other countries. Malta is a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean and it is miles ahead of us with regard to the provision for children with special needs throughout the summer. We must look to expand the summer provision. We met ECCE programme workers. We have a situation where people are qualified up to levels 6, 7 and 8, with master's in education degrees, who work in the ECCE system and they have to sign on for unemployment benefit during the summer months, yet we are struggling to get staff to work in the July provision. We hope to have the Teaching Council before the committee in the coming weeks. The fact that a person needs to have a Teaching Council number to work on the July provision scheme is an issue. That must be changed. We have qualified people working in the ECCE system going on unemployment benefit when they could work with and help children with special needs.

We also have third level students in the areas of speech and language and occupational therapy at a time when there is a shortage of qualified staff. We must look at where is the best place for them to do their work experience. They could do it as part of the July provision and give children speech and language and occupational therapy during the summer months. They are simple proposals and simple asks. I know it does not come not under the remit of the witnesses, but I ask them to highlight that it is something that can be done. When we review the summer provision this year, that is something that needs to be put in place for next year.

I ask the witnesses to continue their work. They have taken the right decision in the past 24 to 48 hours. There has been some criticism from certain organisations, but this is the right road to go. Children need to be educated in their own local school. We do not need a situation where people are travelling a return journey of 110 km five days a week for their children to get an education. It is 106 years since the 1916 Rising, when we talked about cherishing all the children of the country equally. The reality is that we are not doing it when we have a situation like that happening.

I support the work the witnesses are doing. We know that massive improvements need to be made within the system, but this is a very positive start. I ask the witnesses to look at the situation in Athlone. It is close to my home, and I work with parents in an advocacy group. It is 28 June and they do not know if they have a place for their children in September 2022. That is something that must be addressed immediately.