Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the witnesses for their in-depth presentations. There is not much I would disagree with in them. I still think there is resistance from some schools, both primary and post-primary, to open special classes or classes for autistic children. I was a teacher in post-primary and was the SEN co-ordinator for a number of years. There were a number of other second level schools in the area and I knew of parents whose child wanted to go to one of the other schools but was actively encouraged to go to the school I was teaching in because the SEN supports were better. That was unfair. We valued every child who came to us, put the resources into meeting their needs and got a good reputation for dealing with special needs, but every school has a responsibility. The admission to school Act in 2018 improved things but every school needs to step up to the mark and include all students who want to attend. Ms Ní Chéileachair mentioned the importance of the transition from primary to post-primary. Is it now mandatory to provide a report from primary to post-primary or is it still optional?