'Looming crisis' as potential for hundreds of special school places missing for September

Dáil Public Accounts Committee heard that there will not be enough special school places to meet demand at start of new school year. Stock picture: Dave Thompson/PA 

There are not enough special school places planned to meet the “substantially increased needs” for this September in what is being described as the next “looming crisis” in education.

As fallout from the controversy over special needs assistants (SNAs) continued this week, the Dáil heard fears that hundreds of students may be denied an appropriate school place for the upcoming school year.

It comes as the departments of education and public expenditure were unable to confirm where the €19m in additional funding, announced earlier in the week for SNA posts, will be found.

The meeting also heard that education minister Hildegarde Naughton will have been “broadly aware” that letters were being sent to schools about the SNA allocations for next year. 

A spokesperson for the minister said: "Both ministers would have known at a policy level that reviews were taking place. 

"However, they would not have been aware of operational matters, including the timing and the number of letters, or the content of the letters issuing to individual schools.”

Labour’s education spokesman, Eoghan Kenny — who raised the need for hundreds more special education school places with the department, the Taoiseach, and the Tánaiste this week — said it is the next “looming” crisis in education.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed that the number of applications for September has “increased exponentially”, but would not be drawn on claims that there will be a projected shortfall of 200 special classes.

Mr Kenny had questioned Mr Martin on whether the high number of applications this year means 600 new special classes are required for this September, while the department currently has funding to open just 400. Each class can take a maximum of six students.

Mr Kenny said: “Parents who already carry enormous stress now see another crisis coming down the track.

“We have seen chaos around SNA allocations. Children with additional needs cannot wait for 11th-hour solutions.”

At the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Department of Education secretary general Bernie McNally confirmed that Government leaders are aware of “substantially increased needs” this year: 

They’re aware that we have further analysis to do to ensure that we can meet the need.

”A memo is expected to go to Government shortly.

Apology over SNA 'communication failure'

On the SNA allocations, Ms McNally said her department takes “collective responsibility for the failure of communication, so we absolutely apologise for the upset that was caused to parents” — while adding that the situation had led to “a lot of misinformation”.

Defending the process of reviewing SNA allocations, assistant secretary general Martina Mannion said it is “very important that SNAs are allocated to where there is greatest need” and that “the need is going to move”.

The chairman of the PAC, Sinn Féin TD John Brady, said that officials from the Department of Education had “failed to provide the committee with the most basic of transparency”.

He said: “They could not provide us with clear answers as to where this €19m in additional funding is coming from, if it would result in cuts to other areas of the education budget, the sequencing of communication that led to the request for funding, or when it will be officially delivered.”

The Department of Education said that, along with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), it wants to reassure families “they will be supported in seeking a placement and that the NCSE remains available to provide advice and support to all families seeking specialist placement”. It said:

“The department and NCSE continue to work closely to ensure we meet the increase in demand, including provision of appropriate resources.”

Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins said: “This will create further uncertainty for parents, SNAs, and teaching staff in the months ahead and shows that the Government is just making it up as it goes along.”

Tánaiste Simon Harris said there are a “number of issues” in relation to special class places this year.

He added that “active work is going on to ensure that places are provided in advance of September, and Government at every level is working closely with the minister for education and minister for special education on this issue”.

• Jess Casey is the Irish Examiner's Education Correspondent