Special needs children ‘placed inappropriately in mainstream schools’

CHILDREN with special needs are too often being placed inappropriately in mainstream schools, costing them a proper education, a teachers’ leader warned at the weekend.

Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) general secretary John Carr said the Government policy of inclusion for children with special educational needs is strongly supported by the union.

But, he said, the policy is not implemented properly, creating false expectations for parents and sometimes ignoring the educational needs of pupils.

“Too often the special school or special class is left out of considerations on educational placement. Some referral agencies often leave these services out when advising and helping parents.

“Perhaps this is not done deliberately, as many lack the in-depth knowledge required of special schools and classes and others have a single focus of integration in the local primary school, right or wrong,” he said.

Parents and children must be given a number of choices in relation to school placement, ranging from full inclusion in the mainstream school to full enrolment in a special setting and all points in between, he told an INTO special education conference in Portlaoise.

“Many children would benefit from dual enrolment, which would mean they could be pupils of both a mainstream school and a special school.

“But this will require creative thinking from the department and from the National Special Education Council,” he said.

Department of Education figures show a sharp drop in numbers attending special national schools, from almost 8,300 in 1991 to 6,800 in 2003, despite a significant rise in diagnosis of special needs.