Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for taking my Commencement matter. I stand here today talking about a matter that touches the heart of every family and community. It is an area I have worked on over my four and a half years in this House. I am talking about ensuring that we give every child the opportunity to maximise their potential in life. The Government has been extremely supportive in opening a significant number of special classes, particularly in our primary school system, but the reality is that we are not opening a sufficient number of classes in the post-primary system to cater for the demand stemming from the pupils coming through. As I said, it is important that every child gets this opportunity to achieve their potential.

I have been speaking to the family of a young boy by the name of Fiachra. He is only one child from among numerous families in the same position. He is now in sixth class in a special school. He had early intervention and eight full years of primary school in a special class. Now, though, the family does not know if they will be guaranteed a place for Fiachra in September 2025.There are five pupils leaving this national school where they have been for the last eight years. When we look at the numbers across the entire primary school network in County Longford, we see that there are not sufficient places available in the post-primary schools for every child that has that need. The application process for parents applying for the 2025-26 school year is open. Closing dates for the schools are in November, with notifications of whether a child has been accepted or not in December. As I said, we do not have sufficient places in the post-primary schools to cater for that demand. This is something we need to prioritise as a society. Education is key to all our children’s futures. In 2024, we cannot have a situation where parents do not know whether their child is going to have a place in second level education. It needs to be in their local area as well. We cannot have a situation where we are fighting to get additional classes opened in post-primary schools. We have had it before in other counties. It is the same in Westmeath where we have had issues, especially in Athlone, in the last couple of years. We do not want a situation where children and parents have to travel up to 50 miles return twice a day so the children can get their education. The figures are there for the children in special classes within the primary schools. We need to match them up and forward plan 12 to 18 months in advance, rather than waiting until January 2025 to start going to schools and trying to get classrooms open when the closing date for applications for the school year has passed.

I will give the number of places available in the various schools. I will be corrected if I am wrong. There are three places available in Ardscoil Phádraig and two in Cnoc Mhuire Secondary School, both of which are in Granard. There are two in Ballymahon Vocational School and four in Mercy Secondary School, also in Ballymahon. Some of the other schools do not have any availability. Within half the county we have only 11 places covering 20 to 25 primary schools and a significant number of children who have that need. We do not have the capacity in the post-primary schools to meet the demand for September 2025.

We are all aware that transitioning into secondary school is a milestone for any child. My son started only a number of weeks ago and I know what that is like, but for autistic children the change can be overwhelming. It brings new routines, new people and new challenges and we must ensure these transitions are met with support and understanding for those families, rather than obstacles. I ask we put in place a sufficient number of post-primary places in ASD classes throughout Longford and Westmeath to ensure we cater for every single child who needs a place for September 2025.