One in four secondary pupils have special need

Almost a quarter of all secondary schools have a special needs class, according to a study which says there is often a lack of awareness about the necessary criteria for establishing them.

A joint report by the ESRI and the National Council for Special Education, found that special education has become a major component of the mainstream system, with one in four students in mainstream schools having a special educational need.

The special education budget is now 15% of the total Department of Education budget, but the survey found that principals varied widely in their attitudes towards, and provision of, special classes.

“In particular, their varied responses highlight a lack of awareness and understanding of how to set up a special class and the necessary criteria and eligibility for establishing them,” it said.

It said the findings suggest the perceived application of strict thresholds for special class funding is affecting student mobility into mainstream provision, and that “at senior cycle, there is a reliance on the LCA [Leaving Certificate Applied] programme to meet student needs in special classes. Of the special classes taking senior cycle programmes, 47% are taking the LCA programme.”

The report also highlighted other issues, for example: “Allocation to a special class appears to be a relatively permanent arrangement”, with many children in certain classes spending much of the week together.

Instead, it suggests that: “External advice (such as from NEPS [National Educational Psychological Service] or SENOs [Special Education Needs Officer]) does not appear to figure highly in decision-making on moving out of special classes and findings suggest that efforts to maintain the minimum special class size can also affect student mobility into mainstream classes.

“This evidence points to the need for schools to be encouraged and facilitated in allowing greater flexibility in frequency and opportunity for young people to transition into and out of special class settings according to their needs.”

It said that, in some cases, special classes include students without special educational needs.