Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Griffin for her presentation. I have been crossing off questions as they have been asked, she will be glad to hear, as there were a good few. I welcome and acknowledge the substantial work that has gone into this new model and indeed into the report on ASD. When it comes to children with special educational needs there is, unfortunately, the element of schools cherry-picking students and I believe we need to do something to end that discrimination. The league tables are becoming the top priority. I am aware of cases where siblings who attend a certain school are told, when the younger sibling has a special educational need, that he or she would be better off going to the other school. I am also curious about the whole school evaluation and the management, leadership and learning review - and I do not know if this has arisen as an issue - in a school which may have a lot of children who have special educational needs. As part of the review or at the end of the evaluation the school is often asked if they have questioned why they are not achieving great grades as a whole school. I wonder if the schools that do not take in children who have special educational needs are asked why they do not have a lot of children who have special educational needs. I believe that question needs to start appearing on inspection reviews to guarantee equality of access for all students and to end that cherry-picking.

Is assessment wholly dependent upon the standardised tests or will the learning support departments - or the support teachers as they are now called - have a whole suite of tests to help identify the needs? I definitely welcome the 900 new resource teachers in 2017, but is there a contingency plan if the new model reveals that demand outweighs the supply?

I understand that the schools would be required to provide annual reports on how the new model is working. Is this something new and how does it fit in? I am very aware that school managements are under severe pressure. I completely acknowledge that the reports would be needed, but is there an amount of liaison needed to help with management and middle management etc.?

With regard to the ASD report, which is a great report, I have looked at similar policies in Northern Ireland and in the UK and I have noticed that the one thing that is not in this ASD report, which is in those other reports, is a definition for what ASD is. Why is that definition not there? It would be very helpful. I may not have seen it in this report but when it comes to supporting children who have autism, around break time for example, does the Department see a need to recognise the sensory overloads that can happen at that time and the need for quiet spaces, as may exist in other countries' schools, and how would that be resourced in a school? I very much welcome the whole school community approach and that it is not just about the teacher; it is the caretaker, the driver and the man or woman who works in the canteen. I welcome that there will be training in that area also. When the appropriate curriculum is being considered for the 63% of children who are in mainstream and doing the traditional junior cycle or leaving certificate, is it still not the case that the child fits the curriculum rather than the curriculum fitting the child? I am aware of a child who is on the spectrum and who was doing music as a subject for the traditional leaving certificate. Three months into the course the teacher discovered that the child had a severe reaction to classical music. The curriculum obviously does not suit the child and yet that child wants to do music as a subject. There are elements there with the curriculum. Part of the curriculum at leaving certificate applied, LCA, and transition year, TY, is gaining of work experience. Sometimes children who are on the spectrum find it very hard to fit in there or to find relevant and suitable work experience. Are there support mechanisms when it comes to TY and LCA?