Special education teachers, activists, parents and their children marched on the Department of Education in Dublin yesterday to demand action to ensure vital school places are available for children with special needs.
Nicola O’Dea, from Finglas, said her 13-year-old son Sean, who has been diagnosed with autism, will start secondary school this autumn.
She said they had applied to 15 different schools inside and outside their catchment area and still had not gotten a place.
She said they had meetings at the Ministry of Education three months ago and were told they would not be in the situation they are in now.
“I work as an SNA myself and I’m not going back to work now, I’m staying at home. Because my husband works, I work, someone has to be at home with Sean,” Ms O’Dea said.
“The sleepless nights, the constant worry, since Sean’s diagnosis it’s been one battle after another. You fight for needs assessments, you fight for school places, you fight for home care (care allowance), everything is a battle and it shouldn’t be.”
Addressing Education Minister Norma Foley, Ms O’Dea said: “Pull yourself together. Enough is enough. Come and stay in my house. Experience our pain, our stress, our worries.”
Karen Fowler, from Raheny, said her daughter Amber had no place at secondary school, meaning she may have to give up her job to care for her.
She said she applied to 19 schools and was rejected either because they were outside of her catchment area or because preference was given to siblings.
“I just don’t know where to turn anymore,” she said. “The last thing I want is to lose my job. I’ve been fighting for six months with her father and my family to get a place for Amber to no avail. I keep getting the same answers, robot answers, the same tick-box exercises and I’m just really worried.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said special education and the provision of suitable school places were “a priority for the government”.
“Investments of over 2.7 billion euros in 2024 will contribute to this, more than a quarter of the entire education budget,” said the spokeswoman.
“This will enable, among other things, up to 400 new special needs classes to be created at regular schools and 300 additional special needs school places.
“This level of provision is guaranteed and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has informed the Ministry of Education that 408 new special classes have been approved for the coming school year 2024/2025.
“This includes 290 new special classes in the primary sector and 118 in the secondary sector.
“In the coming school year, over 3,300 special needs classes will be offered at primary and secondary schools across the country.
“If it is not possible to provide the small number of additional special classes required, the NCSE and the Department will consider using available statutory provisions where necessary.”
Norma Foley
