Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 March 2019
3. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding to the provision of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, services in education in the Dublin 6, 6W and 12 areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11265/19]
View answerAs we begin the season of Lent, a period that we associate with sacrifice, I want to bring to the Minister's attention the sacrifice of parents in the Dublin 6, 6W and 12 areas in respect of the provision of places in autism spectrum disorder, ASD, units for their children. The Minister is a caring, compassionate and kind man. I call on all of those qualities to assist those parents this morning. He is on the record, as are previous Ministers, in saying the policy of the Department is to ensure that all children with special educational needs can be provided with an education appropriate to those needs. That is the context for my question this morning.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta fá choinne na ceiste. Beidh an t-ábhar seo iontach tábhachtach. Aontaím leis an Teachta maidir leis na príomhspriocanna atá i gceist. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, an independent agency of my Department, is responsible for planning, co-ordinating and advising on education provision for children with special educational needs. That includes taking account of the flow of students from primary into post-primary education. The council ensures that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements.
Individual school boards of management are responsible for the establishment of special classes. It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE to establish a class. In deciding where to establish a special class in an area, the NCSE takes account of the current and projected demand and the available school accommodation, both current and planned. In that regard, the special educational needs organiser, SENO, may approach individual schools to discuss the matter with a view to finding the optimal location in terms of convenience and sustainability.
When the NCSE sanctions a special class in a school, the school can apply to my Department for capital funding to reconfigure existing spaces within the school building to accommodate the class or to construct additional accommodation. SENOs, who are locally based, are available to assist and advise parents whose children have special needs. Where parents have been unsuccessful in enrolling their child in a school, they should update their local SENO to inform the planning process. SENOs are also available to assist and advise schools on special education supports and planning.
The number of ASD special classes in County Dublin has increased from 66 in the 2011-12 school year to 197 in the 2018-19 year, which is a threefold increase. There are 15 ASD classes in the areas referred to by the Deputy: two early intervention classes, eight primary classes and five post-primary ASD classes. I am conscious that the level of demand in many areas throughout the country is increasing.
There is so little time to discuss this matter. The parents who have come to me and my colleague, Deputy Thomas Byrne, have given us a list, based on the Department's figures, for enrolment in ASD classes in 2018. In the Dublin 6 area there are no ASD places in scoil náisiúnta Stratford, Rathgar national school, St. Joseph's boys national school, Terenure, Zion Parish primary school, Sandford Parish national school, Gaelscoil Lios na nÓg, Kildare Place national school, Clochar Lughaidh Cailín, and Ranelagh multindenominational school.
In Dublin 6W. there are no ASD places or unit in Scoil Mológa, Harold's Cross national school, St. Pius X boys' national school, St. Pius X girls' national school, Bishop Shanahan national school and Bishop Galvin national school. In Dublin 12, there are no ASD places or units in Drimnagh Castle, Our Lady of Good Counsel boys' senior national school and Scoil Mhuire. The list of schools that have neither an ASD class nor an ASD place goes on. There are six places in Muire na Dea Coirle girls senior national school. This is nothing short of a scandal. Despite what the Minister said in the response, could he intervene with the relevant authorities and talk to the boards of management about the provision of classes? The situation is at a critical stage. Parents are at their wits' end. One parent has applied to 26 schools looking for a place for a child with special needs.
It is important to point out the progress that has been made, although I know that is no consolation for a parent who is trying to facilitate a child. There is a process and a clear mechanism based on the NCSE, which is an independent group that works through SENOs in conjunction with a board of management. It is the prerogative of the board of management to make the initial application. Following that, a decision is made on whether a special class is sanctioned. One must look at the trajectory in this regard. In 2011 we had a total of 548 special classes in this country and now we have upwards of 1,500 special classes. This year, we are spending nearly €1.8 billion of the budget of the Department of Education and Skills on special educational needs. There has been a change in the admission to schools policy. Deputy Lahart asked me if I could intervene in the process. Since 3 December 2018 a change was introduced. There is a provision in the Education (Admission to Schools) Act, following the completion of the process, that is, the consultation, the engagement with the SENO and with the school and if a board of management makes an application, for the Minister to compel a school to provide an extra class.
However, this is after all areas have been exhausted in the meantime. The ultimate process, the first step, is that the school must make the application. Once that process has kick-started, I will be very vigilant to see where it goes afterwards.
Fianna Fáil secured that under the supply-and-confidence agreement, but I have listed 37 schools in which this just is not happening, including schools in which there were new developments recently and no ASD unit was included. A parent wrote to me:
Thank you [that is, Deputy Thomas Byrne and me] for meeting with us ... My son Dylan is currently at home without an education since December. ...
I applied to 26 schools for 2018/2019 (3 special schools, 22 mainstream schools with ASD classes and one other mainstream school .... [These are all outside of this area.] He has had 3 tutors start and leave since September .... A tutor agreed to teach him in early February but changed her mind on the fourth day. We are currently paying a childminder 5 mornings a week to mind him while a tutor who has agreed to teach him is sanctioned. ...
I have had many meetings with our local school principal to discuss the possibility of enrolment there. I have chosen to keep Dylan out of mainstream education until September as sufficient resources would not be available for him to spend the full school day in school until that time.
This requires an intervention from the Minister for Education and Skills. He has considerable power. Something is breaking down here that I can list 37 schools in three postal districts in which there is neither an ASD unit nor provision for the educational needs of children on the spectrum.
The Deputy and I are on the same page on the importance of this issue. Stepping outside the political arena for one second, we are serious in this country and as a society about having inclusion at the heart of our model. Whether this be people coming from different countries or people with special educational challenges, behavioural or otherwise, or autistic children. This is relevant not just to the geographical issues the Deputy listed, but also to Cork, Galway and Donegal. We are meeting the challenges head-on in terms of weighing up resources and weighing up what can be done within a fixed period. If the Deputy looks at the increase in funding from 2011 and the increase in the number of classes, he will see that the commitment is there to build on this.
To answer his question as to what role I can play, my officials work very closely with the NCSE. The SENOs are tasked with the responsibility of engaging with the board of management. If the board of management makes the application, a process is entered into.
What if it does not?
If it makes the application in the first place-----
What if it does not?
The Minister without interruption.
There is a provision within the Education (Admission to Schools) Act from 3 December last year that compels the Minister if there is a demand, if there is an issue and all areas have been exhausted. However, we must also spread the good news that in the schools that have requested special classes and really looked at this inclusion model, it is working. I was at a small school on Monday in my home county. There are 35 students, including five autistic children, in the school and a new unit is being built there. It is an incredible story.
Go raibh maith agat, a Aire. Caithfimid dul ar aghaidh anois.
We must spread the good news, just as we did with DEIS in the past.
Táimid beagnach trí nóiméad thar am. Ós rud é gur Seachtain na Gaeilge atá ann, iarraim ar na Teachtaí beagáinín Gaeilge a labhairt más féidir leo. Bainigí triail as.
