Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The lack of planning in the school system means that children with additional educational needs are consistently being failed. I am contacted by parents across west Cork every week. I was speaking to a mother and her twin children recently. One of the twins has Down's syndrome and they have been in the same class all the way through primary school. One twin has had an SNA with her full time. They are just about to head into secondary school and they found out there is a place for one of the twins but potentially not for the other one. They do not know and just have to wait to find out. As the Taoiseach can imagine, that transition is huge anyway, without not even knowing what is happening and potentially being separated, not just for all of her classmates but from her twin. This child has been in school for eight years, the special educational needs organiser has known about it and the fact that there has been no forward planning or preparation for this just blows my mind. I cannot understand how that is not happening. The parents of children who have to fight for their supports in the first instance in primary school should not have to start fighting all over again when they start secondary school. I am asking that polices around planning for students with additional needs are revised. It needs to start before this. Schools should get information from crèches for primary school and then primary school information should be given to secondary schools. There are so many schools in my area that are going above and beyond, fundraising to set up special classes to provide for students in County Kerry. It is not the fault of the schools; the overall system is not accommodating them.

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