Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today.

One of the first acts of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, was to open Our Lady of Hope School, Crumlin, with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. The school is a beautiful art deco school in Crumlin village and is a real flagship for what the Department can do in terms of retrofitting buildings. There is a stunning occupational therapy room and fabulous classrooms but there are no therapists in this school. Our Lady of Hope School has been open for two years. It started with 39 pupils and we are now at 43. It has nine teachers and 20 special needs assistants, SNAs; a number which is below what should be in place given that it is a special school for children with autism and additional needs. Only in the past three weeks has the school been assigned two and a half hours of psychology, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy. This is two and a half hours for a school. These hours have to be spread across 43 students with hugely complex needs. I have to point out that when the school opened, it was not as a result of an overnight decision. It was a campaign of nearly eight years by parents; by two ladies mainly. Margaret Jane Lowndes and Helen Holmes started a group called the Dublin 12 campaign for autism inclusion to open this school for autism and complex needs. We have the school and it is beautiful but we do not have the therapists to complement the school. The campaign is still very much active. What is going on here? We know that the children's disability network team, CDNT, responsible for the school itself only has one psychologist, one speech and language therapist, and one occupational therapist. That is to cover the whole area outside of the school and also encompasses the school. There is a big issue here. There is obviously an issue with recruitment. This absolutely beautiful school and its beautiful pupils with complex needs is not operational. It is not working and it is really hampering the work of the teachers and that of the principal. He is doing everything he can to ensure the kids do not just come to school for a bit of babysitting but that they get the most out of their day, are learning and regulated properly, making progress, and that he can tell the parents how their kids are coming on.It is not happening at the moment without the proper supports. An occupational therapist, OT, is needed, who can say something is not working for the child and that the child needs more regulation, and who can give the expertise an OT has. We do not have that at the moment in this school. There is no guidance for the teachers. Teachers and SNAs are not OTs or speech and language therapists. They need that help.

The school is part of a pilot school inclusion model, SIM, team project but the project is about helping the parents or teachers to help the kids. It does not work when the kids do not have direct interventions. Such interventions are needed. This beautiful OT room, which probably cost the guts of €500,000 to build, is lying idle in an autism school. OT is the first port of call for a child who gets a diagnosis of autism. It beggars belief.

The bones of a fantastic school are there. It has a beautiful building, a principal who wants to make it happen, committed teachers and SNAs, and a committed community. Dublin 12 campaign for autism inclusion has not just campaigned for the school but has many services in the community like swimming lessons, after-school clubs and weekend activities. This piece is missing and it is probably one of the most important pieces, namely, therapies in the school. The Minister of State has to do something for this school to thrive.