Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is welcome to the House and I am particularly glad he is taking this motion. I commend Sinn Féin on laying the motion before the House and giving us the opportunity to discuss this important topic. We are all aware of the issues facing families with special education needs. The Minister of State has a deep, personal and long-standing commitment to this topic and there is no better person to be in charge of this. I look forward to seeing significant progress in the next couple of years under his tenure.

I also pay tribute to our colleague, Senator Rabbitte, who was in this role prior to her appointment to the Seanad. She did an excellent job, was extremely passionate and made significant progress in this area but, of course, we have a long road to go.

Significant progress has been made in recent weeks and I wish to touch on the special education needs classes announced for my own constituency. Loreto Secondary School in Balbriggan got an extra class and 1.5 teachers to support it. Ballyboughal National School got one class. Hedgestown National School got one class. Rolestown National School got two classes. Bremore Educate Together Secondary School got one class. This is just one small area of north County Dublin and is replicated in every other constituency around the country. It is not enough to meet the demand, but when those classes were announced, I had many happy parents in touch me. It is reaching some people and some families will avail of this, so it is really well received. I hope the Government will announce more of these classes in the coming weeks and months.

I wish to make specific reference to something I have mentioned to the Minister of State before, namely, the issue of reading schools and reading classes within the education system. These are specific classes for children with dyslexia. There are four reading schools in Ireland, three in Dublin and one in Cork, and 11 reading classes around the country. In north County Dublin, we have one in St. Oliver Plunkett National School in Malahide, one in St. Molaga's National School in Balbriggan and one in Holy Family Senior National School in Swords. The last reading class was opened approximately 25 years ago and was an initiative under Micheál Martin when he was Minister for Education and Science. In case Members are not aware of them, these classes are a really crucial lifeline for children with dyslexia. If they qualify for admission to a reading class, the class is attached to a mainstream school. Children must have finished second class and have their reading abilities and IQs assessed. They are placed in the reading class for two years in an intensive programme to help them to meet their potential and give them the crucial skills to learn how to read. It is really important for their self-esteem and children who have been to a reading class make significant progress. It also helps them and their families significantly.

From next September, there will be more than 2,500 special education classes but only 11 readings classes, with the last one opened 25 years ago. I ask the Minister of State to look at this specifically because, while the classes outlined this motion are welcome and much needed, they are focusing on children with ADHD or autism. Children with dyslexia have specific needs and our population and the number of children with dyslexia is increasing. There is a clear a demand. Regarding the schools I mentioned in north County Dublin with a reading class, there were 41 applications made for the 12 places in St. Oliver Plunkett National School in Malahide and 36 applications for six places in Holy Family Senior National School in Swords. All the other 11 classes around the country see considerable demand, as do the four specific reading schools, which are completely dedicated to this model of teaching reading to children with dyslexia. This is something I want the Minister of State to look at and I might follow it up with him because it is important. While the work done in recent years is excellent, and we need more of it, we cannot forget about the children with dyslexia. I wish the Minister the very best of luck and I look forward to significant progress being made.

We are all aware of the difficulties for families and how heartbreaking it is. Unfortunately, it is not getting any better. More children are being diagnosed and there is greater demand in our communities. Our population is increasing and we have a duty and obligation to provide education for everyone in our communities. I know that is the guiding principle the Minister of State is working under and I wish him the best of luck. I look forward to hearing more announcements, specifically for north County Dublin.