Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I am glad to have an opportunity to speak to this motion. Last night, I spoke about many aspects of education, while this evening I propose to speak specifically on the issue of equality of opportunity for disadvantaged students. I will do so because I dealt with disadvantage and the problems to which Senator Donohoe referred for ten years before entering the House. At that time, I worked in the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee in the Cabra west area, which includes the area from which the Senator comes. I am familiar with the problems he raises, having dealt with Christ the King national school and another school further up the same road.

Senator Donohoe stated that some students, particularly children from disadvantaged areas, slip through the net when making the transition from primary to secondary level. The number of children who slip through the net is small. I know this because I dealt with the issue in a most deprived area. My responsibility was to ensure children did not slip through the net and structures were in place to ensure children who had reading ages well below the norm for 12 year olds were captured in time. The psychological service of the City of Dublin VEC was ready to intervene to provide services for such students. I would be the first to agree with the Senator if the circumstances he describes applied. I did not encounter them when I worked in this area. For this reason, I am obliged to nail his argument.

Naturally, one or two of the children with whom one dealt slipped away because, by their nature, the structures in place were not able to capture home-school links. I am glad we introduced an action plan. We addressed the pupil-teacher ratio and ways in which to reach out to parents. We also brought in the psychological service at all stages of second level education from first year onwards and did case studies. Considerable work was done on disadvantage between 1987 and 1997, the year in which I entered the Seanad. I will not speak for the subsequent period as services may have deteriorated since then.

This brings me to the issue of special education classes. While doing research on this issue this afternoon, I spoke to a school principal who informed me that the stipulation from the Department is that a class for children with special educational needs must have nine or more pupils to receive full support services. Since 2005, the size of many of these classes has decreased and they often number only four or five pupils because many of the students have since moved into mainstream education. The principal in question also stated that students who required extra tuition and assessment were not neglected because she has at her discretion an additional funding allocation. She also has a link with a special education needs organiser, parents and the psychological service to ensure no child who requires special care is abandoned.

I say this because I did not have an opportunity to do so this morning when Senators stated the Government is abandoning the children who are most in need. It is not the policy of the Government or educational system to go down that road. Perhaps there was a communications error this morning. However, as I have outlined, special educational needs organisers are in place, the number of psychologists dealing with special needs has increased and special assessments are made to determine whether children with special needs are ready for mainstream education. If classes have been abandoned, decisions must be made on how to cater for the students in question. These classes are usually organised on an area rather than school basis.

I would not stand over the position described by Senators if it were true. However, major work is being done in the DEIS programme and area action plans. I want this work to continue with the full support infrastructure, including home-school links, remedial teachers, careers guidance teachers, the psychological service and internal school administrators. We must all take some pain as we go about our work. I compliment all the excellent professionals and teachers working in the DEIS programmes who will rise to the challenge and ensure no one will be neglected.