Parents need to know all the options

THE gloomy picture of how Irish education is failing pupils with special needs gives rise to concern not just for parents but also among teachers working at the cliff face of this ongoing crisis.

As underlined by INTO president Austin Corcoran at the union's annual congress, the Government must give parents more information on the choices that exist outside mainstream classes.

As things stand, the expertise built up over decades is in danger of dissipating as the country's hard-won special schools and special classes slowly disintegrate.

Because parents are determined to place such children in mainstream schools, Ireland risks following the trend seen in Britain where almost 100 special schools and countless special classes have been closed over the past seven years.

While mainstream education works well for some children, many are falling through the net.

Other issues of popular concern include the debate over class sizes, the use of unqualified teachers, the stresses of the job and the outrageous tactic of foreign children being terrorised, snatched and deported from Ireland under the Coalition's hard-hearted policies.