Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Moving from primary school to secondary school is a big step for any child. It is an exciting time and it is also nerve-wracking. For families in Monaghan with children who have special needs, that normal worry has turned into fear and stress because many parents still have no idea where their children will go to school in September. Pupils finishing sixth class in June have not been offered places in special education classes and have been left in limbo waiting for answers from the Department and the National Council for Special Education. The ASD classes in Largy College and St. Macartan's College are full. The three MLD classes in Castleblayney are also full. Both Largy College and St. Macartan's have been waiting for a long time for approval from the Department of Education and Youth for school extensions but nothing has happened. The lack of progress is causing huge stress for parents. These children are meant to begin their transition to secondary school in March like every other child. Instead, they are being left out because there are no places. I know of one school that had 17 people waiting for seven places.That means that ten children have not got a place for September. Parents should not have to wait for a second tranche announcement to find out if their child will have a school place or where that school place will be.

It is also impossible to ignore the fact that the Minister for Education and Youth recently announced ten school construction-to-tender projects in her own constituency and zero in Cavan. Meanwhile, families in Monaghan are left waiting and hoping. There is huge disappointment. The Minister and Department need to liaise with the schools and families who have been left out as soon as possible. I ask the Minister to commit to an audit on the number of children currently waiting for a place in each county as it seems the Department does not collect or collate that data. We need to get a grasp on how widespread this issue is immediately.