Lack of school places: 'We were promised the moon and stars – we got stress and struggle'

Cork families are protesting a broken special education system, highlighting a lack of school places, therapies, and essential support

Karen McGrath and her son Charlie. 'We applied when he was two-and-a-half to over 15 schools in our area and only received one acceptance letter for an early intervention class. We were one of the lucky ones to get an early intervention class.'

Charlie was born almost five years ago while the country was in the grips of the first covid lockdown.

Early on, his mother Karen McGrath, a nurse working in Cork University Hospital (CUH) could see he was struggling with his developmental milestones. “He is five but he’s not where he should be,” she told the Irish Examiner this week.