Joan Collins
Question:67. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Education the way in which she will address the issue of the lack of autism classes in Dublin 12 (details supplied). [4129/22]
View answerTuesday, 1 February 2022
Questions (67)
Oral answers (6 contributions)
First, I welcome the fact that the autism class in St. Damien's National School was opened recently, after the Minister intervened. I know that the autism community welcomes that. I want to ask the Minister how she will address the issue of the lack of autism classes in Dublin 12. Dublin 12 does not have enough autism classes. I ask the Minister about the position in respect of Drimnagh Castle Primary School and Drimnagh Castle Secondary School, Loreto College Crumlin Road, Holy Spirit Junior Primary School, Greenhills, Marist Primary School and Scoil Úna Naofa.
I thank Deputy Joan Collins for her questions. Before I get into the specifics of Dublin 12, it important when we are talking about special education to acknowledge the amount of significant progress that we have made. For example, since 2011, we have increased special classes by 386% in this country. This year, we have 2,118 special classes in Ireland. We also have 126 special schools.
In Dublin 12 specifically, we have 21 primary special classes, including two early intervention classes. We have six post-primary special classes, four of which are new this year. Obviously, there is ongoing engagement with schools as well. It is always open to a school to seek to open a special class through the National Council for Special Education.
One of the things that I have been doing over this year and last year is making sure that there is a streamlined approach and a targeted approach in relation to the opening of special classes. It is important to me, as the Minister of State with responsibility for special education, that no child goes without a special class. In that regard, it is important to say as well that the majority of schools in Dublin 12 the Deputy references have opened a special class.
Sometimes we trigger the section 37A mechanism to compel a school to open a special class in specific circumstances, but generally most special classes are opened without the need to do that. We would always try to collaborate rather than coerce a school into opening a special class. There are grants available for this purpose. For example, there is €6,500 available to schools for furniture and general equipment if they want to open a special class. This also relates to the inclusive culture we are trying to make sure is progressed when talking about children with additional needs.
I take on board the point that there has been a huge increase. That is very welcome and it was needed from the point of view of autistic children. However, the fact of the matter is that children in Dublin 12 are still leaving the community to go to school and there are still children with no school places. There are two special classes in Scoil Íosagáin but they are full and cannot take any more children. There is a backlog of pupils wanting to get into the autism classes in that school. We have a situation in the Assumption secondary school because the feeder school is Drimnagh primary, which has no autism classes, so these children have nowhere to go. There is a need to look at the schools again and possibly encourage them to open the autism classes because they are badly needed.
We will always endeavour to open a special class in a school where the children live in the locality because we do not want them to travel unless they absolutely have to. It is in the Constitution that education is a right. That is not always possible in the locality but we will endeavour to do that. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, did an on-site inspection in Drimnagh Castle Primary and in fairness, it has legitimate reasons for not having the classes as it does not actually have the capacity. There is land attached to the school but it is not owned by the patron. The NCSE also tells me that there is sufficient capacity for the current demand. However, the projected demand is a different matter and that is where the NCSE and the Department do a lot of work in anticipating capacity and needs in the future. Holy Spirit Senior Primary School is opening a special class in 2022-23, as is Scoil Úna Naofa. We have also opened Our Lady of Hope, which is a new special school. We opened two special schools this year but that is a new school that opened in Crumlin. It is also important to stress that all new schools built from last year on will automatically provide SEN facilities, which will be critical going into the future.
I have been in contact with the campaign for ASD units in Dublin 12. The Minister of State has also met those parents. They are saying that parents are still coming to them saying their children have had to leave the area and there are no school places in the area. Does the Minister of State know where the boys are to go if there is no feeder into Drimnagh Castle? As I said, Scoil Íosagáin says it is full. There is a backlog of children wanting to get into the autism classes and it has no room for them. That is obviously an issue if it is feeding into that school and there is no access to it. I welcome the fact that the Holy Spirit and Scoil Úna Naofa are opening classes in 2022-23. Drimnagh Castle is quite a big campus area and there is a lot of green space around it. The land outside the castle does not belong to the school but within it there is room and there are green areas.
I appreciate the Deputy's comments. As I said, that land is not owned by the school itself. I understand from the NCSE that the nearby schools will be able to meet the demand for this age cohort. Drimnagh Castle is a senior boys' primary school and I understand there is capacity and that we can meet that demand in the surrounding area. If the Deputy has specific issues she wants to discuss she can talk to me, the NCSE or the Department and I can follow up on that. Most of the special educational needs organisers, SENOs, will be engaging with families and schools to make sure there are no gaps and that no child is left without a place. I am determined, as is the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, to ensure we have sufficient placements for all our children with additional needs throughout the country, not just in Dublin 12. We are endeavouring to do that on a daily basis.
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