Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to address the Dáil in my capacity as Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion. Over the past number of years, if not decades at this stage, in my time as a public representative, I have been interested in this area. In the past five years I chaired the Joint Committee on Disability Matters which afforded me a major insight into the lived experience and the difficulties faced by parents and students with special educational needs. Prior to that, I chaired the education committee when mainstreaming was in its infancy, as was the bringing on board of special classes in different schools. I have huge experience of that and have dealt with many families, children and communities with additional needs. I have personal experience that I can bring to the table in this Department. In that regard, I am really looking forward to engaging with all of the advocacy groups and other stakeholders in progressing and building on the achievements that have been made in special education in recent years. For example, the number of special classes this year is double what it was in 2020, with over 3,700 classes nationwide accommodating 22,500 children in mainstream settings with their peers. In the same period, 11 special schools have been established, with a further five new schools due to open in the coming school year, one each in counties Cork, Monaghan and Tipperary and two in Dublin. These schools will ensure that children with the most complex needs receive a beneficial education. The expansion of provision has been supported by substantial investment in recent years. Over one quarter of the education budget is now dedicated to special education.

Disability services are a key focus in the new programme for Government. This is only right and proper because when we analyse the recent census data, we find that almost 20% of members of the population report having a disability. It is vital that we keep that at the very core of Government. Commitments such as increasing special education provision, providing specialist services in schools and supporting teachers and others in school communities to provide inclusive environments and custom teaching practices are all assurances which will provide what the Government wants to see, which is a progressive and inclusive education system for all children. As part of the wider whole-of-government approach to addressing the challenges faced by children and adults with disabilities, I am determined that we do more to better support children and young people with disabilities in our schools.

The Taoiseach has openly charged Ministers individually to consider the position of disability services within the remit and scope of their Departments and collectively as a Government. I am determined to make progress quickly across a number of areas within special education. Everyone wants to do their best, but I want to ensure that all stakeholders are moving in the same direction and working towards the same goal, with children at the very centre. I have already met senior Department staff and will shortly be meeting representatives from the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, as part of my new role. I want to engage with special education needs advocacy groups and parents' representative bodies to listen to their concerns and work to address them in a collaborative way with our education stakeholders. Many of our schools do great things in the area of special education. I want to build on this to ensure that schools, voluntary boards of management, school leaders and staff are supported to do even more to provide top-quality teaching and learning experiences for students with special educational needs.

The number of special education needs organisers, SENOs, recruited by the NCSE grew from 65 to 120 at the start of this school year. Over recent months, in collaboration with the Department, the NCSE has completed just over 1,000 school planning visits. These will be key to determining which schools will provide new special classes for the coming school year. These additional SENOs will also ensure that parents will be better supported in making choices in relation to the education of their child with special educational needs. I will be working very closely with the NCSE to ensure that special classes are confirmed as quickly as possible in order that parents and schools will have certainty in the context of planning for the coming school year. My Department and the NCSE will continue to work closely on forward planning of special education provision with a particular focus on expanding post-primary special classes and special school provision in the coming years. We have seen a major shortage of places across the country, but particularly in urban areas, for children going into primary school in the first instance and again when they are going on to second level education. I have met many of these children and their parents over the years. I know their frustration and the difficulties they face at primary level and, more particularly, post-primary level. We must continue to work to ensure that children requiring specialist placements can access them in their local area. While my preference is for the NCSE and my Department to work collaboratively with schools to make sufficient progress for children with special educational needs, we can use legislative provisions to compel schools to make provision for or admit children with special educational needs if required.

The review of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act is expected to be published early this year. This is about ensuring that the views of persons with disabilities are fully considered in policy making. The review will help us to understand what aspects of the law are working and whether aspects of the Act should be amended.

4 o’clock

It is important that we look at providing an inclusive system where children with special educational needs can attend their local schools, within their local communities.

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