Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will not take 15 minutes but I would be happy to share it with other Deputies if they wish. Nelson Mandela stated that education is the most powerful weapon we have to change the world. We are really trying to make the world a little bit easier for those pupils who face challenges because of special needs, as well as their parents and those who are born in disadvantaged parts of society.

It is a battle and it can also be a battle to break out of the cycle of poverty and inequality.

Deputies Funchion and Burton have spoken about the challenges facing parents of children with special needs, which are significant. While parents have all the love in the world for their new baby, they face a fight every step of the way in terms of absorbing a diagnosis of autism or some other form of special needs or intellectual or physical disability at a later stage, trying to make sense of it and then trying to get an assessment, figure out what is available and get the supports. Finding a school place at primary and secondary level is a significant challenge, which is unacceptable. I have had experience of special education needs organisers, SENOs, telling parents to do the round of schools when the SENOs know whether there is capacity in them, and most of the time there is no capacity. SENOs then suggest to parents that they make section 29 appeals. Those who are there in a supportive capacity to help parents to get over these challenges should be doing far more than that. What then happens is that parents come back to us to look for support around section 29 appeals.

A principal of a special school spoke about that process. It was heartbreaking listening to her. Her school is overcrowded. Funnily enough, the children who go to this school have fewer resources and SNA support than they would in mainstream schools but the SENO recommended that all the parents in question, and we are talking about children who had finished in an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, unit, apply to this school. Three of them were granted. Two of the children left that school after a number of months because the parents realised the school was nearly dangerous for their children to attend. We need training and support for teachers and ancillary staff, including SNAs. I take the point Deputy Burton made regarding boards of management so that they have a better understanding of the matter. We need a rethink of how SENOs operate. I have no doubt there are excellent SENOs out there but it is not good enough for them simply to recommend that parents take section 29 appeals and then nearly wash their hands of the matter when it comes to trying to find a place, particularly when children start in an ASD unit in a primary school and nothing is done about providing an education after an eight-year period. Thankfully, the situation relating to Scoil Na Naomh Uilig in Newbridge was resolved with the help of the Minister, but we need to rethink the whole area.

What the committee tried to do, and I am sure I speak for every Deputy and Senator in the Houses of the Oireachtas, was recognise and put in words the need for future inclusion and diversity in the education system for all our children based on their individual needs and strengths. For some, this relates to special education while others may come from a disadvantaged background and may need extra supports in school. We need a more pupil-centred approach. It should be a given that students in need receive the supports they require to give them an equal chance at every stage and to allow them to get the very best educational outcome for them to become full citizens, go on to some kind of further education if they need to, have a positive role in society and be fulfilled and fulfilling citizens.

The Minister said in his response that the Government has been able to continue to meet the needs of children with special educational needs attending our schools and increase provision to address emerging needs in this area. I accept that work is being done but I do not think we are continuing to meet the needs of children with special educational needs on so many different levels, for example, the provision of an adequate number of ASD classes and supports at second level. Transport is a very significant issue in terms of collecting children, bringing them to their place of education and bringing them home. Every year, there are so many calls from distraught parents because the Department has told them that while there is a place for their child, the Department cannot give him or her transport. In some cases, it will provide a grant towards providing the transport, which certainly goes nowhere near meeting needs. On an individual basis working through the system, we have been able to deal with some of those after a period of time. In my situation, it took six weeks before we were able to get transport. There is much more that needs to be done.

When the Minister talks about DEIS, he spoke about the objective statistics-based model for assessing schools. We made the point that this is not working and that there are schools that are being left out and children who are being disadvantaged because they are being left out of this system when they need it. I appreciate that, in his final comment, the Minister said that he will not only look at assessment for schools and inclusion but also the scaling of resources to allow for more graduated levels of support. I accept that this might mean something for disadvantaged children in schools that do not have DEIS status.

I thank the Minister for his engagement. The committee appreciates the time he has taken. This issue will never go away. There will always be needs, vulnerable and disadvantaged children we must help, or children with special needs we must help through the Department and linking with the Department of Health, especially with regard to the provision of nursing staff etc. As we go on, we continue to refine the system and make it better for those who will need to access all of these extra supports and resources we can offer. I thank the Minister and all the members of the committee who contributed to this along with all the stakeholders.

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