Ann Graves (Dublin Fingal East, Sinn Fein)

This time of year is about going back to school for many families. That means getting the school bags, getting the books together, and getting the uniforms ready. For many families there will not be a school place for their child to get ready for. Sinn Féin is tabling this motion to highlight the terrible injustice and to put pressure on the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Government to listen and to act now. It is shocking to consider all of those families that have been abandoned by the Government. I am working with a family in Swords. The dad contacted my office in a desperate state about his daughter with additional needs who cannot get a school place in their local school. I raised the matter directly with the Minister for Education and Youth in a parliamentary question asking what options are open to this family and their child. The written response I received was totally unacceptable. She suggested the family contact TUSLA education support services, which they did, only to be told to go on to Facebook and access a private tutor. The TUSLA education support service followed up with a phone call to the family and advised them again to go onto Facebook to try to get homeschooling for their daughter. You could not make this up. It is a clear indication of a broken system.

I have tabled another parliamentary question to the Minister asking once again what options are open to this family who are in desperate need of a school place for their child. This is one of many similar cases. What happened to the promise that every child is entitled to a school place? The Equality in Education campaign identified a further 168 children without a place in school. It is all guesstimates because the Minister will not provide the actual numbers of children that do not have a school place. In Fingal East I know there is a number of such cases because parents are contacting me. The school term has commenced and they have no place to go with their children.

We need solutions. These families deserve better. I call on the Minister to publish and implement a costed, medium to long-term strategic plan to guarantee every child with additional needs has equal access to appropriate education within their own community, finally ending this crisis-driven approach to children's education. I will, of course, support the motion.

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