Schools will not be forced to take special needs

THE Government is unlikely to remove funding from schools that do not enrol their fair share of students with English language special needs, said Education Minister Mary Hanafin yesterday, despite union demands.

Ms Hanafin revealed the findings of an audit of enrolment polices of these children and those from the Traveller community, at the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) congress.

Although specific schools will not be named by her department, Ms Hanafin said her officials have found evidence supporting the suggestion that some second-level schools cherry-pick their students.

Of 69 appeals heard by the Department of Education against second-level schools rejecting enrolment applications last year, 44 complaints were found to be valid.

“There’s evidence in some towns or areas that one school takes more than its equal share of special needs or international students,” she said.

“The other schools aren’t telling parents they won’t take a particular child, but they’re telling them the school down the road can do a better job.”

Ms Hanafin insisted that it is not always vocational schools that are doing more than their share, something strongly hinted at by the TUI.

The union’s president Tim O’Meara said the minister must put measures in place to reverse the trend of some schools being discriminatory.

“The dogs on the street know that it’s wrong but there are no sanctions on schools which continue to operate exclusive policies,” he said.

TUI called for state funding to be withdrawn from such schools, or that the minister use powers under the Education Act to introduce regulations on admissions.

But Ms Hanafin insisted this was not a route she is prepared to take.

“We’ll never get into a situation of not paying teachers in a school because they don’t have a certain number of special needs students,” she said.