Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

It is not as frustrating for me because that school went from that position to having a number of special classes where there is one-to-one tuition for the students, there are special needs assistants, the staff complement has expanded beyond all recognition and this year they have been included in the school building programme. Considering what has happened since the year I came in here fighting the case for their special needs assistant in the class for moderately handicapped children to be retained rather than taken away for the class for severely handicapped students and the personnel currently in their classroom, I can stand over and be proud of the massive supports that have gone into the classroom to provide that extra pair of hands where they are needed. Such extra staff are needed if the child has a special need. There has been constant review and monitoring of who is in the class and who needs that support. I agree people will argue their child is not being accommodated but there is a mechanism in place to ensure those who need it most get the support.

The record shows clearly that the position is improving. There are more teachers in the classroom. There are smaller class sizes. School buildings are improving. Where in the past the special needs assistant would have taken out what might have been considered either a person who needed more support or a disruptive child into dusty windy cloakrooms, they now are taking them into rooms within the building and there has been massive support in that regard.

There are still issues that need to be addressed in the case of apprenticeships, future opportunities and early school leaving. For the person who is not particularly academic, I accept there are other avenues of approach. It would be remiss of me to use the short time available and not plug the issue of early intervention, particularly at pre-school and at early primary school, in the arts sector. Usually the reasons pupils are disruptive stem from something outside the classroom environment, such as a social problem at home, a psychological problem or an academic problem resulting in the pupil falling far behind. An arts-based or a less academic intervention at an earlier age might mean the student is more able at second level to participate fully in the academic field.

I have not seen the report of the task force set up by the Minister. This debate might have been more appropriate at a time when we have seen that and can debate the issues involved. The setting up of the task force was important. The Minister mentioned there is funding to deal with the recommendations of the task force. It is one of the most important issues. I commend the Minister for the serious advantage she is helping create for children. She comes from a teaching background. She has been in the school. She understands the issues and she is trying to address them in a coherent and structured fashion. It is not appropriate to jump up and down about an issue. One must examine and deal in a concerted and significant way with the issues. This Minister has proven in her approach that she is taking it in a measured fashion, which is the right way to do it.

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