Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome the Minister of State to the House today to have what is an important conversation for a growing number of people in south Kildare on the issue of special school places. I sought this Commencement matter this morning because it was announced by the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, in early December that four new special schools will be established this coming September and are to be located in Limerick, Meath, Wexford and south Kildare. This was in response, as the Government stated on the day, to the increasing numbers of students with learning needs. The announcement went on to say that these new schools will cater for approximately 120 young people with autism and complex learning needs, initially up to 18 years of age, and will gradually increase numbers over the coming years. The announcement dedicated that the areas where they would be based, as I have said, would be in Limerick city, Enfield in County Meath, Gorey in County Wexford and the south Kildare area.

Most importantly, from my point of view, the statement said that the move followed analysis which found that "the level of need in these ... areas could not be catered for by expanding places in existing ... schools." That is my experience too, and a growing experience for so many families in the south Kildare area. Increasingly, I get calls from worried parents who are being told that there is no place for their loved ones or that the school they are in at present, as is the case in one instance, cannot cope with the complex needs of their loved one. I am sure the Minister of State can imagine the torment and worry that this causes for these parents. For example, one family's loved one has started preschool. They have applied to 12 schools - some, indeed, a fair distance from where their own family home is - but, as they themselves say, they would bring their child anywhere as long as they get the education and supports that they need. Their current school has advised that even if an ASD class were available, they still would not be able to cater for the complex needs of their child. Another family have applied to schools in six different counties seeking a place for their loved one and another family have simply been unable to identify any school that may take their loved one at this particular time. The Minister of State can imagine the worry and pressure that puts on them.

One of the pressures that I wanted to raise - it is something I raised with the Minister, Deputy Foley, previously - is the whole area of the SENOs and the fact that these families are contacting 15, 16 or 17 different schools. The issue I raised with the Minister at the Joint Committee on Autism was whether we could get the SENOs to do that. Could we co-ordinate a plan whereby the SENOs would work with the families rather than the families having to get birth certificates, etc., every time they apply to a school?There was a positive reply from the Minister, Deputy Foley, on that day, which was approximately this time last year, in which she said she would try to organise that. I hope the Minister of State can bring that back to Minister, Deputy Foley, because it is a complex and worrying issue and takes up a great deal of time. These families are also worried not just about looking after the educational needs but also about the physical and mental needs of their loved ones. This is something which the Government and SENOs need to get more involved in.

Going back to the announcement in December, the Minister stated that the exact location of the school has not yet been revealed but that the Government was hoping to use existing school buildings. I know the former St Paul's School site in Monasterevin in south Kildare would be a location which could accommodate such a school, obviously with modification for needs. These special schools bring with them the necessary professional people needed for the complex needs of so many of the loved ones I have spoken about.

The location of the new school in south Kildare is so important. We have exact locations for the other three schools but south Kildare has just been mentioned as a general geographic area. I am sure the families who are listening today, and all of the families I deal with in growing numbers in the calls I get each week, are seeking to know exactly where in south Kildare that school location would be and, as importantly, if it will be ready for September. They cannot continue to make those 20 and 30 phone calls and cannot continue to travel to schools. I hope the Minister of State can provide some information for them today.