Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This week, the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Madigan, made an announcement about the importance of ensuring children with special needs have access to school places.We are now seeing mainstreaming and our schools are embracing that. We are seeing the special needs educational teachers who are being rolled out. There are over 19,000 SNAs, which is a huge number. However, in my area I am getting many schools that are still crying out for more supports in order to have more special classes. It is crucial boards of management within our schools are looking at what the need is from families within their catchment areas. That must be reflected. In my own area around Athlone there are students in the Westmeath and Roscommon areas who are in challenging circumstances. Senator Carrigy also raised this last week as a Commencement matter. We have a wonderful new school in Roscommon, Coláiste Chiaráin, that already has special classes. However, again it is the case that within our catchment areas our schools really must acknowledge and recognise the need within those areas and the Department of Education must also fund and support those schools to be able to offer that service.

I highlight the summer schools programme is again being rolled out. This covers over one in four schools. We have 4,000 schools. Over 1,000 schools and nearly 245,000 students now have access to Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, funding. It is so crucial the summer schools programme is being rolled out in these schools so these children can access that support, and that it is available to those DEIS schools.