Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising the matter. The policy of my Department is to ensure all children with special educational needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, to secure the maximum level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream schools or, where a special school or special class placement may be required, to ensure that such placements are provided for. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, SENOs, for allocating additional teaching resources and special needs assistants, SNAs, to schools, to support children with special needs, in accordance with my Department's criteria. The NCSE has advised that the child referred to by the Senator is enrolled in a special class for children with autism spectrum disorder, ASD, attached to a mainstream national school. My Department provides enhanced pupil teacher ratios in ASD classes of 6:1 to provide dedicated teaching support for children in such classes. SNA support is also provided in special classes to assist with the care needs of children. Many children who attend special classes ultimately integrate into some mainstream classes during the school day in accordance with my Department's policy of inclusion and taking into account the abilities and needs of each child.

I understand the child referred to by the Senator attended both the special class and mainstream classes in the school. I understand that the school received SNA support to cater for the care needs of the child concerned. The NCSE has capacity to review the levels of SNA support provided to schools. The NCSE has advised my Department that the child referred to by the Senator is currently suspended from school. The NCSE has also advised that a meeting has been arranged between the child's parents, the principal and the board of management of the school, in order to consider the suspension of the child, and the child's education in the school. This meeting will take place this afternoon, Thursday, 7 March.

It is appropriate that such a meeting should take place and in circumstances where a parent is dissatisfied with the manner in which education is being provided to the child in school, the parent should bring this matter to the attention of the school's board of management. Under the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school and employs the staff at the school. If a parent or guardian remain unsatisfied, having brought matters to the attention of the school board, they may bring the matter to the attention of the Office of the Ombudsman for Children.

If a parent wishes to report a child protection concern, he or she may do so to the school board of management, to my Department or to the Health Service Executive, which will deal with this report in accordance with established guidelines and procedures.

I am hopeful, however, that the meeting which has been scheduled for today will be able to resolve any matters of concern the parent or the school might have. I can advise that in circumstances where a child has been suspended from school for more than 20 days of the school year or has been expelled from a school, the parent or guardian of that child may appeal such a decision to my Department under section 29 of the Education Act. I understand that the parents of the child in question have been made aware of this right of appeal. I thank the Senator again for raising this matter.