James Reilly (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I will be as brief as I can but this is a very important issue. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address it. The lack of school places at primary and second level schools for children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, came to my attention again when a group of mothers formed an action group, the autism schools discrimination committee, ASDC, in Skerries and sought a meeting with my Oireachtas assistant, Councillor Tom O'Leary. He reported to me that six or more mothers report that their children cannot access school places in Skerries or the area nearby. They claim there are at least 12 children in need of places for September 2018 at national school level; six may have places. One mother has twins and one has a place and one does not. They have contacted all the national schools in Skerries and none can take their children. I have a copy of a letter from the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, of 28 March 2018. He made a representation on behalf of one young boy who was seeking a place at Educate Together in Skerries. He expressed great surprise that despite the fact the boy is diagnosed with autism and has a funding package approved by the Department of Education and Skills, the school refused to offer him a place. There may have been a slight misunderstanding in my request for the Commencement matter debate. From reading the reply to the Minister of State, Deputy McGrath, I assume the 12 children have funding packages from the Department of Education and Skills but cannot find school places, hence the reference to two classes of six for special needs children.

My assistant, Councillor Tom O'Leary, attended a public meeting on my behalf and in his own right as a local councillor in Mourne View community centre in Skerries on Monday this week, with more than 50 parents. The mums and dads in attendance all have children with special needs in need of services and school places. The big message from the meeting, which was loud and clear, was the lack of school places locally, the extreme difficulty of dealing with the system to access services and the lack of professionalism, training and awareness in some of the services. It was a very frustrated and concerned gathering of parents who have children with needs the State should be meeting.

The committee of determined and motivated mothers outlined their private personal stories to the room. I will put their first names on the record of the House. I apologise if I leave anyone out. Edel has a son with no school place until September 2019, and has other issues such as being on oxygen by day and on a bypass machine at night. Linda has a son aged five and had to pay for two years of private assistance in Seolta. Her son will be leaving Seolta in July. He has a department funding package but no school place. Georgina's son is five. She had to find a home tutor and train the home tutor herself. Her son is on a bus for more than an hour each day going to County Louth. Wendy has two sons with ASD. One is now an adult and one is diagnosed with moderate to severe autism. He has difficulty with light, sound and heat. He is on the bus every day. He has to leave at 7.30 am. Wendy has a major challenge managing her adult son and younger son at home and is trying to do her best. She is spending €7,500 per annum on private services while on a low income. Wendy is chair of the mothers' committee. Sarah has two boys diagnosed with ASD who are non-verbal. Anne has three children and the last has ASD, is non-verbal and is in Seolta. She is happy with that service as her child has come on socially but now he has to travel on a bus to another school. He is stressed and it is manifesting with him beginning to self-harm. It is his only way of communicating his distress.

I have a patient in my practice who is stressed out because her child has had no school place for the past 12 months and no prospect of one. She has been given funding for home tuition but she cannot find a home tutor. Yesterday , we got excellent news from the board of management of Educate Together that it has decided to step up to this obvious need locally and seek capital funding for four special needs classes at Skerries Educate Together in Kelly's Bay, Skerries. The school operates the excellent Seolta preschool service there.

I am seeking the Minister of State's positive support for this school. It hopes to open in 2020 on a phased basis with the Minister of State's support.

I attended a meeting in St. Michael's House in Skerries earlier this week. It is in dilapidated and damp conditions in an old house with 31 children of all ages. It takes children from four to 18 years of age. They are in cramped conditions and I do not believe it would pass a fire safety assessment. They have been looking for a new school for a long time. The good news is a site has been located and negotiations are ongoing. I hope the Minister of State will support this team of wonderfully committed professionals. I commend the team of Pam, Michelle and all the rest who give such sterling service. They will have to reduce their numbers from 31 to 29. As more children come in with greater need, and autism in particular, they need to be able to move. As a doctor and parent, I do not want to see children being medicated when the situation can be resolved with space.

I will finish because I see the Cathaoirleach is getting a bit concerned. It was stated at the public meeting in Skerries that there are difficulties in getting special needs classes established in schools, particularly in new schools, and that there is a reluctance and resistance on behalf of some principals and boards of management to establish these changes. A senior special educational needs officer from the NCSE confirmed that to be the case at the meeting. It is an issue of national concern. We cannot have a situation in which Government puts funding and packages in place but school principals and boards decide they will not provide it. I hope the Minister of State can address this through the new admissions policy Bill that is before the Dáil. Perhaps she will let us know in her answer when the Bill is expected to be passed and enacted.

I call on the Department to engage as a matter of urgency with Educate Together in Skerries and start a fast-track process to approve a special needs class facility at this excellent progressive school. It wants to open in 2020. Will the Minister of State please assist it to do so? As a parent, one is in a constant state of anxiety and panic as time passes because the clock is ticking and one's child is failing to progress because he or she is not getting the help he or she needs. The help should be available. I pay tribute to the board of the school and principal Tomás Hickey for stepping up to meet this need. I pay tribute to the Minister of State and her Department on the massive investment in new school facilities in particular in my area of Fingal where I estimate there are five new school builds entailing an investment of €70 million.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Senator had four minutes and he almost hit eight minutes. I am very lenient.

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising the issue. From listening to the Senator, I know the issue is as important to him as it is to Edel, Linda, Georgina, Wendy, Sarah, Anne and the Senator's patient and also to the many other children around the country. I will try to answer the Senator's question globally and then specifically.

I am taking this Commencement matter for the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton. The Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled students with special educational needs in order to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled he or she will have access to an appropriate education.Such placements facilitate access to individual education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions, delivered by fully qualified professional teachers with the support of special needs assistants and the appropriate school curriculum. The Department therefore provides for a continuum of provision which includes mainstream school placements with additional supports, or for pupils who require more specialist interventions, special school and special class placements. This network includes 130 autism spectrum disorder, ASD, early intervention classes, 641 primary ASD classes and 277 post-primary ASD classes in mainstream schools and 125 special schools. ASD early intervention classes are available for children aged three to five with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Early intervention classes are intended to provide early support for children with ASD before they start school. Following early intervention, children will attend a mainstream class unless there is professional guidance that they require a special class or a placement in a special school. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which is a separate independent statutory body, plans and co-ordinates the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive.

The NCSE is aware of the emerging need in north Dublin, as the Senator has spoken about, from year to year, and where special provision, including special class or special school provision, is required, it is planned and established to meet that need. This process is ongoing. The school referred to by the Senator includes a two classroom special needs unit in which it currently operates two ASD early intervention classes. The NCSE has informed the Department that it has agreed in principle to this school establishing additional primary ASD special classes subject to accommodation being available. It has also advised that the school is in the process of submitting an application to the Department for capital funding to reconfigure existing spaces within the school building to accommodate the classes or to construct additional accommodation. The Department has also provided a new two classroom special needs unit in Scoil Chormaic, CNS, Balbriggan. The NCSE is currently engaging with the school in relation to establishing ASD primary classes for the forthcoming school year.

The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 was published on 6 July 2016. During the Committee Stage debate of the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, the Minister, Deputy Bruton, outlined his intention to include a provision that will provide, based on reports and advice from the NCSE, a power for the Minister to require a school to open a special class or increase the number of special classes in schools identified by the NCSE. Officials from the Department are currently engaging with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on the development of legislative proposals on this matter which the Minister, Deputy Bruton, hopes to bring forward to Government for approval shortly. The NCSE will continue to work with schools, parents, NEPS, health professionals and other staff who are involved in the provision of services in the areas referred to by the Senator for children with special educational needs, to ensure that each child has a placement appropriate to their needs for the 2018-2019 school year.

James Reilly (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach, who has had to leave, for the latitude he has shown me so I will be brief with my response. I thank the Minister of State for her response. I welcome that the Minister will make provision in the admissions Bill to obviate this problem of schools not stepping up to the mark across the country. I welcome the news about Balbriggan but have to point out that Fingal has the youngest population not just in Ireland but in Europe. The needs there will continue to grow. We clearly have a challenge to meet them. I welcome that the Minister of State has given me such a positive response. I hope that she and the Minister, Deputy Bruton, will ensure that we get the necessary support to fast-track this special new Educate Together unit of four classes.