Just 7 schools escape special needs cuts
However, Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe has rejected criticisms of the response to appeals from 49 of the 119 schools where it was announced in February 128 classes with more than 500 children were to be suppressed.
These classes are working with pupils who have mild general learning disability (MGLD) but were found by the Department of Education to have fewer than the 10 pupils required to justify a teaching post.
According to the department, 10 classes at 11 schools have been allowed to continue in the autumn, including seven schools in which there was only one MGLD class. Four other schools (including two adjoining schools in Ballyfermot) which were told to drop two classes, have been given a partial reprieve and will still have one of the special classes from September.
In the case of two Dublin schools where three classes were being suppressed and one other school due to lose a single class, department officials have asked for clarification of certain matters before reaching a decision on their appeals.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) said Mr O’Keeffe’s response to the appeals was minimalist and totally inadequate, meaning hundreds of children with special needs will have a vital service withdrawn.
“Most of these children will now be enrolled in ordinary classes again, where they were already unable to cope before they were placed in special classes,” said INTO general secretary John Carr. “This is a shameful decision where children are being treated not as individuals with real needs, but as little more than statistics, and the minister must think again about this indefensible situation.”
The minister’s spokesperson said Mr Carr’s statement conflicted with the INTO’s submission on a review of the general allocation model, under which children with more moderate special needs are catered for by set numbers of special teachers, in which the union said a positive aspect was the increased emphasis on inclusive education for pupils with special needs.
“It’s clear that the INTO is engaging in double-speak on this issue. It should be noted that having their children included in the mainstream class is the desire of the vast majority of parents,” he said.
He emphasised arrangements had been in place since 1999 under which classes with less than a certain number of pupils would not be entitled to a teaching post for the special class.
Labour Party equality spokesperson Kathleen Lynch TD said Mr O’Keeffe’s decision to proceed with the closure of more than 100 special classes will cause untold distress for the pupils concerned and risks setting back their education irreversibly.
“The decision to spare just 10 classes is cynical tokenism at its worst. Not only will these children themselves suffer but so will their classmates, as a further burden will be placed on mainstream teachers who are already under huge pressure,” she said.
