Schools denied direct access to psychologists

SCHOOLS dropped from the most disadvantaged list have been denied direct access to psychologists despite promises from Education Minister Mary Hanafin that no supports would be withdrawn this year, the Irish Examiner can reveal.

Ms Hanafin made the commitment when 81 second-level schools previously included in her department’s Disadvantaged Areas Scheme (DAS) were left out of the School Support Programme (SSP) for 2006/07.

But a list released to the Irish Examiner under the Freedom of Information Act shows 10 second-level schools have had their direct access to the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) withdrawn in the past year. They include three Dublin schools due to close this summer.

Ms Hanafin insists the loss of NEPS access at any school is the result of regional staffing changes: “For whatever reason they might have lost it, it’s not because they’re not in DEIS (the plan for increasing social inclusion in education). It might be because of someone in NEPS going on leave, or moving to a different region.”

But the Irish Examiner has seen a letter sent by NEPS to one school, outlining that the decision was partly based on its exclusion from the SSP.

“The withdrawal of NEPS is due to prioritisation of schools on the DEIS list and changes in personnel in the region,” the school was told last September.

The deputy principal of one school, which lost its dedicated educational psychologist who was available within weeks by just making a phone call, said students face delays getting private psychological assessments.

“It means that, instead of waiting maybe a few weeks, students must wait up to six months,” he said.

NEPS has 127 psychologists in 10 regions, who are directly available to some of the country’s second-level schools. Those without access can have a student assessed privately under a Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments, but this takes longer to organise. The Department of Education said it intends every school would have NEPS access by 2009.

The Association of Secondary Teachers’ of Ireland (ASTI) criticised the way in which schools once targeted because of disadvantage are set to lose supports.

ASTI deputy general secretary Diarmaid de Paor said: “Schools no longer termed disadvantaged have definitely suffered, even though their students have not suddenly become disadvantaged. We want a system where different criteria are used to ensure that a disadvantaged child does not lose access to services just because their school has changed category.”