Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
635. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Education if the poor supports available to children with autism will be addressed which is resulting in these children having to travel long distances from their locality to schools that suit their needs; if her attention has been drawn to the stress long journeys can cause to the children; the steps being taken to address the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22692/20]
View answerEnsuring that every child has a suitable school placement is a key objective of my Department. Significant resources are allocated each year to ensure that appropriate supports are available for children with special educational needs.
Children with special educational needs are supported through placement in mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. At school, they receive a range of supports provided by teachers and SNAs. Other professional supports including training for teachers are provided by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and the National Council for Special Education to enable each school provide an holistic educational experience for each child. The HSE is responsible for the delivery of therapeutic supports.
Since 2011, the number of special classes in mainstream schools has increased almost threefold, from 548 to 1,618 for the 2019/2020 school year; with 1,353 of these catering for children with autism. Budget 2020 provided for an additional 265 special class teachers in 2020, which will allow for the opening of additional classes where required.
The National Council for Special Education has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide; has well established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents; and seeks to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements.
Care is taken to minimise the amount of travel for students but I am aware that it is not always possible to secure a suitable placement in a local school and this is an issue of concern. Occasionally, the specialist nature of the placement involved requires the child to travel some distance. It is now standard practice for provision to be made for special needs in new school projects.
It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school. School transport is also available. My Department works closely with the NCSE in this regard.
Normally, special class and school places are established with the full cooperation of the schools in areas where they are required. However there are some parts of the country where the NCSE has faced challenges in getting schools and their patrons to voluntarily agree to provide special class or school places. I have powers under the Education Act 1998 to require schools to provide specialist school placements where this is required and where the schools concerned have capacity in this regard. These powers will be used where necessary to ensure that every child secures a suitable school place.
As the availability of specialist places continue to increase throughout the country, it would be expected that this would reduce the travelling distances required of students and the resulting stress caused.
