Special Educational Needs Service Provision

I am thankful for the opportunity to raise with the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan, the overall shortage of secondary school places for children with autism spectrum disorder and the additional difficulties raised by the application of an admissions policy for ASD classes that protects a particular religious ethos. On the broader issue, currently on the south side of Dublin there are exactly 42 places at second level to cater for the 150 affected children who are currently in primary school. There is probably not a need for an exact match in terms of numbers because some children at the severe end of the spectrum will never proceed to second level. On the other hand, there are children in mainstream education at primary level despite the fact that they have autism to some degree. If they are to proceed to second level, they will need the special supports, at least for part of the day.

 We can say for certain there is a very severe shortage of places at second level. I am sure the Minister knows only too well the anxiety this causes among parents whose children are coming to the end of primary school and who realise there may be no further educational opportunities for them. Those parents will see other children moving on but not theirs, despite the fact that many children on the spectrum are capable of moving on. Some are very capable of doing so.

 Every year, parents start looking for places. If they do not get any that are suitable for their children in terms of educational supports, the outcomes are not good, for them or their children. Over the years, I have supported both individual parents and organisations in seeking additional places. We were really very pleased on the south side when a school finally agreed to provide additional classes. There were two special classes set up, which raised a number of places from 30 to 42. However, a problem arises in that all the places are in the Protestant faith school, which has informed the non-Protestant faith parents that their children are unlikely to be admitted to the classes because it gives preference to children of the Protestant faith. I fully support the protection of religious ethos for all schools where mainstream pupils are concerned but it seems absolutely unnecessary that there should be any such protection, and unlikely that there would be a threat to the ethos, when providing places to children with a disability. The children have nowhere else to go. The 12 additional places are the only new ones on the whole south side of Dublin that have been provided in recent times.

 I acknowledge the Minister is proceeding with the education (admission to schools) Bill, which I believe covers this issue. People are quite happy with how it is to be dealt with but, in the meantime, the majority of children are excluded from the new places. The underlying problem is the shortage of places overall. A selection process of some sort is inevitable where there is a gap between supply and demand. I am putting to the Minister today the overall shortage of classes. If she refers to that and the religious ethos problem, I will be very grateful.

   Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Jan O’Sullivan): I thank Deputy Mitchell for raising this important issue. I will outline the current position. The Deputy will be aware that the Government is committed to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post-primary school network. Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes that 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 Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support students with special educational needs, including autism. It is also the role of the NCSE to make appropriate arrangements to establish special classes in schools and communities where the need for such classes has been identified. This is a particular issue. Special educational needs organisers engage with schools annually in order to plan for and open new special classes each year to ensure there are sufficient special class placements available at primary and post-primary levels to meet demand in a given area. Special classes within mainstream schools are intended for children who, by virtue of their level of special educational need, cannot reasonably be educated in a mainstream class setting but who can still attend their local school in a special class with a lower pupil-teacher ratio and special needs assistant support.

 With regard to the requirement for secondary school places for children with autism in south Dublin, the NCSE set up an additional two special needs classes in the area last year, as the Deputy stated. She made the point that the denomination issue is part of this. The NCSE is actively engaging with all schools in the area to meet the established demand for 2015 and 2016. I am not sure if the Deputy knows whether there is unwillingness on the part of schools because it is sometimes an issue. I have come across it in other parts of the country. The NCSE will continue to monitor the situation and has the capacity to open such new special classes, where necessary. I hope that, with co-operation, the issue can be addressed.

   Deputy Olivia Mitchell: I thank the Minister. I acknowledge that the number of places was increased by almost one third. That was very welcome. The Minister has put her finger on the fact in that there is unwillingness in some schools to set up new classes. Schools where there was not unwillingness already have as many special classes as they can cope with. The reality is that if schools will not co-operate, it is really down to the Government to do something for the children who are not provided for sufficiently.

 I do not expect the Minister to give me a promise today but I ask her to bear in mind that there really is under-provision. We cannot just leave it to chance and the willingness of schools to co-operate. The schools’ role is to educate all children, and they should be obliged to provide classes for the children with autism. We must be more active in insisting on this. The special educational needs organisers do so much work but they have limited powers. I ask the Minister to change the approach to bring some element of compulsion into the process. Every child is entitled to an education, notwithstanding his or her disability.

   Deputy Jan O’Sullivan: Every child is entitled to an education, irrespective of whether he or she has a disability. The education (admission to schools) Bill that the Deputy referred to will contain a provision requiring all schools to have a statement in their admissions policy indicating they do not discriminate on any of the grounds included in the equality legislation. Disability is one of those grounds. That provision will help. We intend to publish the Bill relatively soon.

 An issue has arisen in certain places where a school has not put its hand up to say it will take a class. Re-engagement by the NCSE has often resulted in getting it over the line. Certainly, I undertake to take back the concerns of the Deputy. I will ensure there is continuous engagement with the schools in the area.

   Deputy Olivia Mitchell: I thank the Minister.