Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)

Central to the issue we are discussing, namely, the education of children with special needs, is the core principle of integration and inclusiveness in our education system and that we support a system which includes children with special needs - physical, mental or both - Traveller children and foreign national children.

There are children with special needs who in the past have gone to special schools or to units within those schools. I want to recognise the great work being done by the St. Michael's House schools and schools like the one for the visually impaired on Gracepark Road. Those schools and those units must maintain the current levels of funding.

However, in the past decade or so, and longer in some cases, in schools such as my own school, St. Mary's, Baldoyle, there has been an acceptance of the philosophy of integration to include all students with special needs. That philosophy is included in the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 which states: "wherever possible, [the education of people with special needs shall] take place in an inclusive environment with those who do not have such needs, to provide that people with special educational needs shall have the same right to avail of and benefit from appropriate education as do their peers who do not have such needs". The Education Act 1998 contains a commitment to "a level and quality of education appropriate to meeting the needs and abilities" of citizens. In that regard we have the theory, the philosophy, the policy and the legislation and all of that must be honoured.

The special needs assistant scheme dates back to the introduction of child care assistants which came about in the 1979-80 school year. That acknowledged that there were children who needed extra support if they were to realise their potential, especially in classes of more than 20. The system of providing for children with special needs requires a radical overhaul and the first step is to put the needs of the individual child at the core.

The Department of Education Circular 07/02 states that the duties of the SNA sanctioned by the Department are of a non-teaching nature. I wish to make two points on that. The SNA is in the classroom with a child. The child is struggling to understand an idea, a concept, a sum or a word. In theory, the SNA should say, "I cannot help you; that is not a care need" but I have seen the work of SNAs who have the total care of the child central to their work, and total care means physical, emotional, intellectual and educational.

In recent years the PLCs have introduced courses to equip special needs assistants with the knowledge and skills they need and in that regard I dispute the concept of limiting the work of the special needs assistant purely to care.

In my teaching years I have also seen the difference an SNA makes to the child and in the majority of cases they go beyond the remit of the role. Some children will need a full-time assistant, others a part-time assistant. For others it may be temporary or the needs could be reduced over the course of the time the child is in school. It all depends on the needs of the child, and that is where the emphasis must be placed. The needs of the child should determine the system, not the other way around.

Regarding other aspects I believe must be part of the overhaul, if the SNA is absent, what happens to the child? It has happened that the child may be asked to stay at home and not come to school. If the child with special needs is absent, what does the assistant do in those circumstances? Flexibility is needed and, unfortunately, our system is much too rigid. That also applies to schools which are over quota. The child with the SNA who has special needs is still in that school, regardless of the quota position.

The school I taught in was totally inclusive. We had Traveller children, children with special needs - mental and physical - and foreign national children. All were welcome. We used the resources we had within ourselves and within our school to work with those children to the best of our abilities. I resent those schools that say they cannot take a child with special needs because they do not have the resources. The Department of Education and Skills figures consistently show provision for special needs and other minority pupils is glaringly absent in many fee paying schools.

The Department has found €100 million for fee paying schools. It also found capital payment for fee paying schools-----

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