Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The matter I raise relates to equity in education and goes to the heart of an inclusive education system. The backdrop is that a national school in Roselawn, Dublin 15, wanted to provide a reading class for the community and the board of management and staff were fully on board. The school successfully opened a special class for autism called Sonas in June 2019 and I attended the opening.

The special educational needs organiser, SENO, endorsed the application for a reading class because they know the demand is there in the school and in Dublin 15 and beyond. In April 2021, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, wrote to the principal confirming that a specific learning disability class, SLD, had been sanctioned for the 2021-22 school year and the school was told to progress the practical side of things, such as the prefabricated classroom, the set of grants and the staff. Six students in Dublin 15 were identified as suitable, including pupils from the school in question.

Three weeks ago, however, out of the blue, the decision to sanction the reading class was reversed. I do not need to tell the Minister of State about the disappointment that has caused. These are families and students who struggle with severe dyslexia and really want the opportunity to avail of a reading class for a couple of years. They know the location of every reading class in Dublin and beyond and they also know how long the waiting lists are. I have received messages from parents of children with severe dyslexia from all areas. One of them wrote that if their son had been successful in accessing a place at Catherine McAuley reading school, they were willing to allow him, at eight years of age, to get on a school bus and go all the way to Dublin city to attend. Another wrote that their son's learning needs were not being met at his mainstream school, and while the school was doing its best, it could not give him the individual attention and support he required.

That student should not have to travel to the city to access education that other children can get in their communities. Dublin West does not have any reading class and now it seems to be the Department’s policy not to open one. The parents and the school are, understandably, confused and they deserve an answer as to what happened. If opening a reading class is not the policy any more, surely the SENO, NEPS and the Dyslexia Association of Ireland should know that. What if they disagree? We have rightly seen a move away from exclusively inclusive mainstream classrooms for other special education needs and we have a model that seems to work for reading classes.

A report by NEPS has stated that not all children with special needs are the same. It goes on to state that while inclusive school settings might be beneficial for some children or groups of children, special classes or schools may be beneficial to others, and that we need to rethink the divide between inclusive education in mainstream settings and segregated education in special schools or units. A crucial issue in that regard is that of choice. Moreover, a progress report on the future of special schools and classes, presented by Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, to the NCSE on 11 March, endorsed this approach.