“Parents don’t get a holiday from the stress of trying to find a school place for their child. The Dáil should remain sitting until this is done. No child should be forced to go without an education”

People Before Profit Drogheda say that parents are sceptical about plans to increase size of special education classes and call for Dáil to remain sitting until all children have appropriate school places for September. They are also organising a Public Meeting on the topic soon. 

The Dáil goes into recess next week as a new school places crisis is brewing, with at least 260 children left without appropriate school places for September. Parents are sceptical about government plans to increase the pupil : teacher ratio in special classes and don’t trust government promises of more SNAs. 

People Before Profit's Drogheda representative, and secondary school teacher, Michael Tuohy, said: “A renewed special education school places crisis is approaching with at least 260 children left without appropriate school places for the new school term in September across the country”. 

“Some of the children have no place and no offer of a place. A large number of children have an offer but no place in September because building works or modular buildings haven’t been completed or delivered and no clear time frames for completions or deliveries have been provided. There are also children whose parents were cajoled into taking places in inappropriate mainstream settings where they have been left without the resources they were promised by the NCSE”. 

“Understandably many parents have taken legal action to have their children’s rights recognised and vindicated. But it has become clear that the NCSE is responding to the legal actions by prioritising the allocation of places to those taking legal action at the expense of other children”. 

“The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is using Section 67 of the Education Act inappropriately to reduce waiting list numbers by instructing schools to expand some special classes to accommodate eight or more children instead of the standard class size of six children. Parents are being promised that more Special Needs Assistants (SNA) will be allocated to the expanded classes to provide the extra supports needed”. 

“Parents fear that the increase in pupil numbers in special classes from six to eight, or even more, will lead to a drop in teaching standards. Parents are also sceptical about government promises of extra SNAs. The additional 1,600 SNAs announced by the government in last year’s budget have already been allocated to new classes and schools”. 

“Parents want more than just vague promises. They want specific allocations of resources, including SNAs, to ensure the school places and supports required are in place so every child has an appropriate school place at the start of September”. 

“The Dáil goes into recess next Thursday, 17th July and will not sit again until 17th September. Data from the NCSE indicates that over 260 children will not have appropriate places when the new school term starts in September. It is simply unacceptable that a renewed school place crisis is brewing for late August and early September and the Dáil won’t even be sitting as the crisis hits home for hundreds of families”. 

“The Minister for Education and the government need to do their jobs. They need to allocate the school places, the resources and the supports required to guarantee that every child has an appropriate school place for September”. 

“Parents don’t get a holiday from the stress of trying to find a school place for their child. The Dáil should remain sitting until this is done”. 

“No child should be forced to go without an education”. 

People Before Profit's Drogheda Branch will be holding a public meeting soon on this topic with experts from the area in attendance. If you would like to be informed about when and where this meeting will take place, please contact the branch via email at pbpdrogheda@gmail.com. Alternatively you can contact them through Facebook (People Before Profit Louth/East Meath), or through Instagram (@pbpdrogheda).