Before I outline my Topical Issue, from speaking to Deputy Butterly, I am aware that Mr. Brady, one of her former teachers, is with the group from Dundalk Grammar School. He is particularly welcome. It is always a pleasure when our former teachers get a chance to come here. It is lovely to see that group here as well.
I wish to address issues relating to special education needs. I will begin by acknowledging the extraordinary investment made in this area. A total of 268 classes have been announced in recent times, including for Carysfort National School, Blackrock and St. Mary’s Boys’ National School, Booterstown. Those two schools will benefit on foot of those announcements. I pay tribute to the teachers in those schools because they are the ones who put in place the process that leads to these grants being awarded and that allows the classes to happen. The classes not only benefit the children in the schools, but, perhaps most importantly, they benefit everyone in Ireland in the long run.
One of the most important things about a special education needs, SEN, place is that it gives equal opportunity to children who have difficulties or disadvantages they need to overcome. It puts in place a system that allows them to compete on an equal footing with everyone else in their class. This is important because it is not that these children cannot achieve their educational potential; they can, but we need to do that bit extra to ensure they do.
I specifically acknowledge what has been done in St. Anne's National School, Shankill, to arrange a SEN place. Again, teachers are working hard to get grants to allow these things to happen. I pay particular tribute to Mr. John Fingleton, the principal of the school who is on secondment at the moment, and Ms Paula Kelly, who is acting in his stead while he is away, for the extraordinary and hugely important work they have done.
While acknowledging the work that has been done, I raise this issue is because I have been in touch with two families in the Shankill area whose respective daughter and son have been told, in no uncertain terms, that there will not be a SEN place available for them next September. While I do not in any way seek to denigrate the work to which I refer, I want to know what happens to the children who fall between the cracks. What happens when children are told there is no place for them and that when they go to school next September, they will not be able to avail of the accommodations and assistance they need to achieve their full potential? What are we doing for those children? What are we doing if we are allowing them to fall between the cracks? What is the long-term impact for them and for us?
I am sure this is repeated in other constituencies, districts, towns and villages throughout the country. There must be others. There cannot just be two children in Shankill who are being placed at a disadvantage. Think of all those children as they go up through the school system. I acknowledge that, in general, we have an exceptional educational system. In the context of metrics relating to literacy, numeracy or achievement, schoolchildren here do very well on global indexes. If we repeat this instance in towns all over the country, then it is obvious that there are children who are not getting the opportunity to achieve and compete on an equal footing. That damages us all in the long term because they fall behind over the process of a long school career up to the age of 18 and the leaving certificate. They do not have the same opportunities as their peers in the classroom, and that is simply not fair or reasonable. We need to redouble our efforts to ensure that no children fall between the cracks. We need to ensure there are SEN places for all those who need them.
These families have done everything asked of them. They have obtained the assessments and made the applications, not just to the schools they are in but to other schools in their areas to find out whether places are available. The answer they are getting is that places are not available.
I heard what the Minister said in replies to parliamentary questions to the effect that this is an ongoing process. I welcome and accept that. In these two cases, as I understand it, they have been told definitively that they will not have places in September. Not only is that hugely upsetting for the parents involved, it is also hugely disadvantageous for their children as well. What can we say to them about the SEN places they need for September?