Government urged to publish data on number of children without school places

Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire is expected to bring forward a motion calling on Government to introduce emergency measures for children with special needs. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

The Dáil is expected to hear calls this evening for the Government to publish data it holds on the number of children who do not have an appropriate school place for this September.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Sinn Féin’s education spokesman, is to bring forward a motion calling on the Government to introduce emergency measures to ensure all children with special educational needs have an appropriate school place for next year. 

Last month, the creation of five special education centres was proposed as an emergency response to the continued shortage of appropriate school places for children with special educational needs. 

The plans were quickly scrapped following an outcry from the public and disability advocates. 

Despite some progress in recent years, the number of classes still falls far short of the requirements, particularly at post-primary level. 

Many children with special educational needs are still without school places for September. At the end of May, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) formally wrote to Josepha Madigan, the Minister of State for Special Education, advising there is insufficient special class capacity in Dublin.

Section 37a of the Education Act gives ministers the power to direct a school to open a special class where all reasonable efforts have failed. 

Josepha Madigan is Minister of State for SPecial Education. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

However, the legal process has been used on two occasions to date, and only at primary level. The motion expected to be brought to the Dáil this evening notes that Section 37a involves a 13-step process for compelling schools to open special classes, which is "far from an emergency response" and "incredibly arduous and time-consuming."

It notes: "The Minister for Education, the Department of Education, and the NCSE have access to data on the true number of children who require an appropriate special educational place in September, and have not planned nor acted accordingly."

It also notes that the announcement by Ms Madigan that she will now begin to issue Section 37a notices is "unlikely to ensure that schools will open special units by this coming September, given the timing set out in the Act to undertake this 13-step process". 

The motion also calls for emergency legislation to be brought forward to expedite the Section 37a process, and to give a clear statement that the "segregationist" proposal of temporary special education centres will not go ahead. 

It also calls on the Government to "recommit" to ensuring that all children with special educational needs have an appropriate school place within a school community by September 2022.