Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will be sharing with my colleague Deputy Ó Ríordáin. Despite some progress in recent years, there are still significant gaps and disparities that persist in our special education system. Too many students and children are being hindered from full inclusion and participation in our schools. Too many children are being left behind and deprived of the support and resources they need to thrive both academically and socially. While the time left for this Government is growing short, this is an issue I believe this House as a whole can get behind. With the Taoiseach stating that he wants a further emphasis on special education, and with the portfolio itself being reassigned, we need to see some real changes that will have a tangible impact on the people who need them right now.

These changes need to start, however, with a re-examination of how special education teaching hours are allocated for schools. We have a situation where some schools will be losing resources with regard to the allocation of special education teachers, according to a departmental circular earlier this year.

From the parliamentary questions I have submitted, it is clear that for those schools whose allocations have been decreased, 30% have had their hours reduced by more than five hours per week, with 70% of schools looking at decreased hours of between one and five hours.

In my own constituency, Holywell Educate Together National School, which is an unbelievable school for the provision of special education and goes over and above, faces a decrease in hours of up to 12.5%, which could impact on a number of its supports and programmes, including its ability to offer much-needed one-to-one support for some children. Over recent months I have been visiting schools in my constituency and those there have told me just how vital it is to not only maintain, but also to build on, the number of SET hours that are allocated to schools. This is not only vital for the children who need them but for the other children in their classes and, more broadly, for parents who rightly believe that the allocation of these hours is vital to the development of their children and to ensure the children feel properly included in the school.

It was really concerning for those parents who heard the Minister for Education defend this new model of allocation of hours earlier this year. She stated that 67% of schools will see no change or will see an improvement in their allocation of special education teaching hours, but what about the other 33%? A third of schools will see a decrease. A new focus on special education should not mean a cut in the allocation of hours for one third of the schools in this country. Quite frankly, that decision is madness, and telling schools and parents to engage in a review process is simply not the way the Government or the Minister of State should be handling this matter. Parents of children are concerned now. They are concerned about what the next school year will look like. Remember, these are parents who have fought from before the time their children entered school and who continue to fight while their children are in the school system.

This begs the question what type of engagement went on between the Department of Education and disability organisations, if any. Down Syndrome Ireland, Inclusion Ireland and AsIAm are just some examples of the organisations the Department should have consulted, but we know this did not happen. Indeed, when before the committee, these very organisations stated that the lack of consultation was a breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The reality is that the primary challenge facing special education in Ireland is the lack of adequate funding and resources. The underinvestment in special education has resulted in overcrowded classrooms, insufficient support staff, limited access to specialised services and interventions and, of course, children who are unable to get into schools. As a result, many students with additional needs are unable to receive the individualised attention and support they require and is their right to achieve their full potential. According to the Taoiseach there will be a further emphasis on special education, so we now need to see policies and actions that reflect the reality as it exists now. We need to see a reversal of a new model of SET hours and, instead, see an increased allocation across the board for schools for special education. We also need to make sure there is joined-up thinking regarding the educational supports that are provided to children with autism. For example, in my own constituency in Malahide, there are no autism classes at primary school level, but in the post-primary school, there are two. It is these types of inconsistencies that simply do not make sense. The lack of planning here is concerning and it is not a new phenomenon. A total of 8,893 children are overdue an assessment of needs and 6,963 have been waiting for more than three months. More than 17,000 are waiting for contact with the children's disability network team, with a waiting list for treatment of more than 110,000. These are staggering figures and they have an impact on our education system. We cannot continue to see the consistent mishandling by the Government and the State in how they provide for children with additional needs. We cannot continue to see the inconsistencies that exist across villages, towns and cities. We need to see every school ensuring they offer autism classes and reading classes for children with dyslexia. There is not a canvass or a door-knocking session that goes by where these issues do not come up. They are brought up by parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts.

Last year, I stood outside Leinster House with a group of families of young people with intellectual disabilities who were protesting the lack of day services. These individuals were school leavers from the north Dublin area and had been referred to St. Michael's House through the HSE. They had all attended the organisation's school for children with additional needs and had expected to use the adult day services. However, due to a combination of staffing shortages and the resources that were provided to the organisation, they were unable to get places. This ultimately meant these young adults were essentially expected to stay at home with no support from the State. The continuation of their education, life and progress, be it through further education or work, has been hindered by the lack of Government planning and investment.

We also want to see the Government finally make some progress on the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act, which sought to put in place much-needed supports to facilitate people with additional educational needs to fully participate in the Irish education system. It was intended to be a central pillar of the national disability strategy. It was laudable in placing the identification and provision of the needs of children with additional educational needs on a statutory footing. However, despite being passed in 2004, crucial elements of the Act have yet to be commenced, namely, the development of an individual education plan based on an assessment to identify supports as well as guiding the delivery of educational support on an individual basis. The independent appeals process, which was legislated for in 2004, has also been left aside for 20 years. This needs to change.

We have come some distance in the past 20 to 30 years in the way society values and treats people who require special education needs, but we have to be honest. Despite this, people still face ableist and discriminatory obstacles in accessing special needs education. The data is there to support this. These people are twice as likely to be made homeless and are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed. Ireland has the highest level in European Union of unemployment among people with additional needs. Additionally, we must address the systemic barriers and structural inequalities that perpetuate these disparities in special education. This includes addressing issues such as transportation barriers and inadequate facilities and providing inbuilt access to assistive technology and accommodations. We must also prioritise early intervention and early childhood education for children with additional needs because research has shown that early intervention can significantly improve outcomes and reduce the need for more intensive support services. If this Government is serious about improving provisions for special education, that needs to start now. We have the ability to build a more inclusive and equitable education system for everyone if the political will is there to do it.

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