John Lyons
Ceist:440. Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the provision of secondary education in respect of a child (details supplied) in Dublin 11. [38582/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 18 September 2012
Ceisteanna (440)
Freagraí scríofa
My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled pupils with special educational needs in order to ensure that, wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education. The enrolment of a child in a school is a matter in the first instance for the parents of the child and the Board of Management of a school. My Department has no role in relation to processing applications for enrolment to schools.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) can assist parents to identify appropriate educational placements for children with special educational needs. Parents may contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs and to seek assistance in identifying placement options, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) can also assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The NEWB will try to help parents to find a school placement if their child has been unable to secure a school placement to date. The NEWB can be contacted at National Educational Welfare Board, National Headquarters, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7 or by telephone at 01-8738700. My officials understand from the NEWB that there is a school placement available for the pupil in question.
The Deputy maybe aware that section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of a Vocational Educational Committee (VEC), to the VEC in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more school days in any school year. My Department has no authority to compel a school to admit a pupil, except in the case of an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 being upheld.