Mr. P?iric Clerkin:

It is a very important question, and it is one on which we as an organisation have a very definite view. We must have an appropriate admissions process for children with complex special educational needs. The admissions Act is well intentioned, and it works for the vast majority of children. It is right that the admission is taken in the year that the child is due to start school. It was not right that children who had moved to an area could never get access to their local school because they were coming in later than those children whose names were put on a list after they were born. The policy is right, but it does not work for children with complex special educational needs. A slight adjustment is needed, which is more time. The simple answer is that we need more time. Our position is that we need a lead-in time of 24 months. For children with complex special educational needs, the school needs to be able to take that application 24 months in advance of the child being due to start school. It does not compromise the admissions policy of the school. The admissions policy will still be administered the next year, as is the case currently. In most schools, it is age based so the older children are offered a place. The school will be 90% sure whether a child would get a place the next year. The worst-case scenario is that the child is too young and he or she will have to wait another year. That means the school then has 36 months to prepare. That is what is needed to get the infrastructure in place. The point that we are making is that section 37 does not facilitate children to attend their local school with their brothers or sisters. It is reactionary and it is not fair on those children. The only way we will be able to address it in the longer term is to amend the admissions Act.