Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The shortage of special education spaces across Waterford city and county did not happen overnight but it has now reached crisis level. As I have outlined in correspondence to the Minister and the Minister of State, and by way of parliamentary questions when that resulted in no response, there is an alarming situation in Dungarvan where 20 children have been told there will be no space for them in St. John's Special School this September. Given the limited spaces and high demand, the school was forced to pick names at random through a lottery and to create a waiting list. No school, principal or team should be put in that position. The families of these children have been left reeling and uncertain as to how, where and if their children's right to education will be vindicated.

St. John's Special School, Dungarvan, is a fantastic school and is utterly embedded in the community. It caters to children with mild, moderate and severe levels of need. Its catchment area does not just include Waterford but also parts of east Cork and south Tipperary. This is on top of the more general constraints on special class spaces to which Deputy Cullinane referenced within mainstream schools across Waterford. While a special class in a mainstream school will suit some children and others will thrive in a mainstream class with the right support, some children need a special school setting. The 20 children impacted in west Waterford need a special school space.

Deputy Cullinane and I have been engaging with parents, the NCSE, SENOs and school principals to push for a resolution to the crisis across Waterford city and county. Projects in Ballycurrane National School and Garranbane National School have been delayed, further adding to pressure, while bureaucracy and capacity constraints are frustrating efforts in more schools across Waterford, both at primary and secondary level. There is an urgent need for additional capacity in St. John's Special School, Dungarvan. While temporary accommodation might be a solution for September, ultimately there needs to be an expansive and ambitious project to deliver a new extended school campus in Dungarvan. For now, however, parents need certainty. Their children deserve an education, not just a place to be but a place where in the words of one parent, they can thrive and achieve their full potential, whatever that might look like.

See this speech in context