Ms Derval McDonagh:

There is a reason the UNCRPD talks about a progressive realisation of an inclusive model of education. It is recognised that this can take time and intention and needs to be done carefully over time. Inclusion Ireland has been long calling for a strategic plan that has cross-government support on inclusive education that is documented and written, where we can see year on year incrementally how we are making progress, and get away from this piloting system of doing a patch here and there and seeing how that is working, and looking at system-wide change. There have been some wholesale positives about this such as the advent of therapists going into schools and that coming out of a pilot project and into a more permanent structure. We need to see that built on year on year, however, and for children and families to trust that an inclusive model of education is being built, that needs to be documented so we know that this year there are going to be a specific number of additional therapists going in system-wide and a specific number the following year. That is going to take time and we recognise it cannot happen overnight.

Children and disabled adults who have come through the system need to have their voices heard in the co-design of that strategic plan. Again, as Ms Murrihy said, that transformational training needs to be embedded, building therapies year on year and building our spaces so that our schools are fit for purpose and have places for children to come and go from to have their sensory needs and accommodation rights met. Our policies and procedures absolutely need to be neuro-affirmative and children's rights based. We need to look at the whole suite of policies in this inclusive education and strategic plan, such as the code of behaviour and guidelines that will look at seclusion and restraint and make sure they are focused on children’s rights. We need also to invest in our school leaders and communities and give them the time and space to grow inclusive education schools. Step by step is what we need to see here and there are many people willing to put their shoulder to the wheel and have those conversations, including children and families, to build a better and more inclusive model of education over the next ten years.