Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 4 Dec 1997

Vol. 484 No. 2

Adjournment Debate. - Special Education Facilities.

Mr. Sargent

I thank the Minister for coming in to reply to this important matter. I regret the Minister for Education and Science is unable to be present and I will raise the matter further after I have heard the Minister's reply.

Baineann an cheist seo le Sórd Colm Cille, an baile is mó i mo Dháilcheantar féin. Tá cabhairá lorg agam do na daltaí is laige atá ag freastal ar scoileanna sa cheantar, agus b'fhéidir go bhfuil fadhbanna eile ag na daltaí san ag cur isteach orthu. Is mór an fhadhb é nach bhfuil freastal ceart acu, áfach.

According to the 1996 census Swords is the fourth largest town in the country after Dundalk, Bray and Drogheda and it is regarded as the fastest growing town in Europe. It is amazing that in the four post-primary schools in the town which cater for 2,200 pupils there is only one special class which caters for 17 pupils. Others have applied for places but have been informed that they cannot be accommodated.

Special education is organised in different ways. In some schools children with special needs are catered for in the mainstream with the help of a remedial teacher while in others there is a special class dedicated to meeting their needs. All schools should be adequately resourced to allow them offer appropriate special education facilities. What is happening in Swords is that schools are able to claim they are not in a position to provide a special education service because they are grossly under-resourced and consequently are able to refuse pupils who apply for places.

This places parents in an impossible position — between a rock and a hard place. They have to make a decision whether to send their child with special needs to a school which they know cannot cater for their further needs. There are families in Swords one member of which attends one school while the member with special needs has to attend a separate school. This is not acceptable.

It is not just a question of resources which must be provided. Will the Minister indicate whether each school in the Swords area is in a position to cater for children with special needs on a fair and equitable basis? If not, there is a danger they will be concentrated in one or two schools. There is not an even spread.

Following the announcement of the budget it is clear that there is a two tier economic system, the origins of which can be traced back to the education system. While some schools are expected to cater for pupils with special needs, others earn a name for themselves as schools which cater for pupils of much higher ability intellectually without equipping them, because of their narrow focus, to live in an egalitarian society which caters for the needs of all, not just those who are able to survive in the Celtic tiger.

Mr. Molloy

Thar cheann an Aire, ba mhaith liom a rá go bhfuilim buíoch don Teachta a chur an cheist seo faoina Dáilcheantar féin. Tugann sé seans dúinn an cheist a mhíniú.

I am glad the Deputy has raised this matter as it affords me an opportunity to inform the House of the provision which is being made to address the needs of special needs pupils at second level generally and in the Swords area particularly.

Children with special needs have access to a wide range of special support services which are tailored to meet the variety of special needs which can be present. In many instances children with special needs are capable of being catered for in the ordinary school setting with the help, where necessary, of remedial teachers, resource teachers or visiting teachers. In more serious cases the needs of the child may be such that placement in a special school or special class attached to an ordinary school is the most appropriate response. The Department of Education and Science makes every effort to ensure no child with special needs is denied access to an adequate education service.

In May 1990 a resolution on the education of children with special educational needs was adopted unanimously at the EU Council of Education Ministers. The salient points are as follows: member states agreed to intensify, where necessary, their efforts to integrate or encourage integration of children with disabilities into mainstream schools in all appropriate cases. Integration into the mainstream should be considered as a first option in all appropriate cases. The work of special schools should be seen as complementary to the work of ordinary schools. References to integration "in all appropriate cases" and "the work of special schools being seen as complementary to the work of ordinary schools" clearly indicate that, while integration is the preferred option, it should not be pursued to the exclusion of arrangements in more specialised settings.

The Special Education Review Committee was established in 1991 to report and to make recommendations on the educational provision for children with special educational needs. The terms of the EU resolution accord with the views of the Special Education Review Committee whose report was published in 1993. The report stated that the committee held "no entrenched doctrinaire position regarding the integration into the ordinary school system of pupils with disabilities and-or special needs. Our philosophy could best be summed up by saying that we favour as much integration as is appropriate and feasible with as little segregation as is necessary. We therefore envisage a system in which there will be a place for both ordinary and special schools".

The committee was of the view that "it will be necessary to establish a continuum of services to match the continuum of special needs. Decisions on the placement of pupils along this continuum must be based on the assessed needs of the pupil, the range of services available, professional advice and the preference of parents".

Substantial additional resources have been allocated to cater for the needs of special needs pupils in recent years. Additional ex-quota remedial posts were allocated to second level schools. There are now 350 such posts at second level.

In addition to the provision which has been made in the remedial area, additional resource posts have been allocated to cater for the needs of special needs pupils attending second level schools. A total of 56 resource posts were allocated to second level schools in 1995. Schools were invited to apply for the posts on a specially designed application form. Selection of the schools for the allocation of posts was done on the basis of the information contained on those forms and having regard to the recommendations of the inspectorate. There are more than 140 resource posts allocated to second level schools in the current school year.

With regard to the area referred to by the Deputy, a special class has been established in a school within the area of administration of County Dublin Vocational Education Committee and two resource posts have been allocated to the school to cater for the needs of the pupils concerned. A further resource post has been allocated to another vocational education committee school in the area to cater for the needs of special needs pupils attending that school.

The Minister is fully committed to improving the provision in the education area and in particular for children with special needs. There are many competing demands for increased funding in all sectors of education. These demands are considered within the overall budgetary constraints. The position will be kept under review with a view to allocating additional resource posts when resources permit.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.20 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 9 December 1997.