Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The portfolio of special education is so important. It is a role that directly impacts on the lives of countless individuals with diverse needs and, as such, it demands full-time dedication to ensure effective policy development, implementation and support for those who rely on the special education services.

There are enormous issues with special education and the Minister of State will need all of us working together to make these changes. Families come into my clinic in Carlow and tell me their children are not being supported appropriately in the schools. They are not getting the same opportunities to access the curriculum as their peers. I know of families who are going into debt to get private assessments so they can get their children into special classes. I know of children going for years without assessments or vital therapies.

Children are waiting for months and years to get support and sometimes that support comes too late for them. As the Minister of State knows, the greatest cure is early intervention. It is vital that the Department provide transparency on special education by disclosing the budget it sought through the Estimates process for the allocation model. It needs to publish accessible information about the changes to the allocation model which are clear and consistent for families. It is vital that we show confidence and comply with basic good governance and good administration by putting in place and publishing a budget for the exceptional review process and guaranteeing the independence of the process.

Local schools have contacted me as they prepare their school summer numeracy and literacy programmes for pupils and for the ASD special classes. I know the Minister of State is aware of this but it is very worrying. Unfortunately, the funding has been cut considerably. While it was €60 per child per week in 2022, in 2023 it was €45 per child per week and now in 2024 it has gone down to €30 per child per week - it has halved. Very many schools have contacted me about this and I just cannot explain it to them. That is so important. This will have a detrimental effect on the quality of the programme for the children. Many children will not receive this positive experience this year. How can we deny children with additional needs an experience that they desperately deserve? Why are we cutting this? I really want an answer on this. For the last week I have been inundated with queries about this. I need to be able to go back and say how we can sort this out. I could really do with answers for this.

I welcome the publication of the National Council for Special Education policy advice paper which promotes an inclusive education for all in an inclusive society. Others have also spoken about that. We have seen a significant growth in the number of special classes being opened in schools, as I have seen in my own area of Carlow-Kilkenny. I also welcome that. I know there is the good with the bad. Do we have a plan for the long-term development of new school campuses which would cater for all students to allow them to complete their primary and post-primary education? The one thing I want to see is children with special education needs being able to enter the same school gate as their siblings and friends. That is something that is talked about a lot and we really need to have it.

I want to see teachers getting the professional learning programmes they are asking for and the supports they need. As highlighted in the report I want to see psychological and therapeutic supports in mainstream schools to help them support students with special educational needs. The services in Carlow are just not there. We have massive waiting lists for CAMHS. We do not have dual diagnosis. We need to bring all these recommendations in as quickly as possible.

I wish to ask about two other issues. How many special language classes are there in primary schools? As the Minister of State knows, the special language classes work with the HSE and the Department of Education. That has been brought to my attention in the last few weeks. In Carlow-Kilkenny it is an excellent two-year course and it should be rolled out across the country. What are the plans for that?

How many schools have support for verbal dyspraxia? My understanding is that it is not many. What is this situation on that? How many schools have the school programme for dyslexia? I believe all schools should have it. I am looking for an update on that. Are children with Down's syndrome able to take part in these classes? I ask the Minister of State to come back to me with answers on these.

In 2013 we had the categorisation of mild learning difficulties or general learning difficulties. What is the update on that? I do not know if that is in schools anymore. It was really good and was really welcome. There are major issues here. I work with families every day. They come into my clinics. When their child is being looked after, families are happier and they feel that we are getting there on time. As I said, it is all about early intervention. However, some children are not getting the intervention they need. We have had a lot of money allocated in budgets. While I welcome the good work that has been done, what is the Department's future plan? Carlow-Kilkenny is my area and I am looking for the statistics and the figures for that. Many programmes in schools need to be addressed. While much good work has been done, I come across these issues in my clinic every day and I do not have the answers for them. I ask the Minister of State to come back to me with the reasons for the cutbacks on the summer schools programme. I would like to get back to the schools on that.

See this speech in context