Ms Miriam Kenny:

Our understanding is that there are none. It is not because some schools did not want them to be there. While there has been some change, my understanding is that they have not been funded to open special classes. The Libermann Spiritan School will hopefully lead the way in this change. This is a cultural one which needs to happen. A funding change also needs to happen to support schools. Again, great work is going on in those schools and great support is being given but this is something that needs to change culturally where children who have additional needs can also attend those schools, are supported, and that all of those schools, from a diversity and inclusion point of view, are supported.

The other thing that should be said is that the weighting is different in the context of the allocation of funding for additional educational needs services in girls’ schools because, historically, it was felt that girls had a lower presentation of different issues, but that is not true any more. Things are changing as girls are beginning to receive diagnoses. Girls tend to mask things a great deal more.

There are many matters in the context of funding. In general, in respect of additional educational needs posts in schools, I spoke to a deputy principal yesterday who told me, which I did not understand, that the school is not funded. It would have a great deal of work to do within that to ensure that the quality of education and the supports are there for those children. Those schools are not allocated enough hours, which is dependent upon that. There is need to look at the structures as to what is going on in schools and how that can be best supported.

There is a unique situation in certain parts of Dublin and south County Dublin in the context of fee-paying schools. There are a few schools dotted around different areas, but they are mainly in the areas I have just mentioned. The change has to happen and, within that, hopefully, the Spiritans will lead the way and things will begin to change.