Norma Foley says there's enough special ed places for every child in Dublin 15 - but parents disagree

PARENTS OF CHILDREN with additional needs have pushed back on a claim from the Minister for Education that there are now more special education places in Dublin 15 than required.

Dublin 15, the area in North-West Dublin which encompasses Blanchardstown, Mulhuddart, Clonsilla, Castleknock and Tyrrellstown, has been acutely impacted by a shortage of special education school places this year.

This has meant that a number of children have been forced to remain in pre-school settings rather than progressing to primary school. 

Despite Taoiseach Simon Harris stating in July that he could say “with a degree of confidence that every child will have a school place in September”, several children still don’t have somewhere to go to school.

Following protests and campaigning from parents, the government set up a taskforce to help improve the situation specifically in Dublin 15.

Among the members of the taskforce are parents, school principals, representatives from the Department of Education and the Department of Children, and representatives from the National Council for Special Education.

Minister for Education Norma Foley yesterday updated Cabinet on the work of the taskforce. 

Responding to a question from The Journal during a press conference afterwards, Minister Foley said “significant strides” have been made “but it is an ongoing journey”.

Specifically referring to Dublin 15, the Minister said: “I can say to you that we’re now in a place where we have more places available than we do actually have places being required by children, and that’s a very strong positive.”

Figures obtained by The Journal from the Department of Education show that as of 17 October, there were seven children who were seeking a special education place in North Dublin (which encompasses Dublin 15), with 15 vacancies available. 

However, two parents who sit on the Dublin 15 Taskforce, dispute these figures and the Minister’s statement, arguing that the vacancies referred to by the Department are not actually appropriate for the children still without places.

One of these parents is Caitriona Rohan, whose son Rian was due to start primary school this September but has only just been given a place in a special education class.

He will now begin school at the beginning of November and up until now has remained in the autism pre-school that he was attending last year.

Despite Caitriona’s son now having a school place, she said she is not giving up until the situation is solved. 

Caitriona set up the campaign group D15 Schools for All to advocate for appropriate school places for Rian and other children in similar positions.

Speaking to The Journal, Caitriona said she is aware of two children in Dublin 15 who remain without appropriate school places, as well as a number of children who are in mainstream schools, but who should have places in special education schools or classrooms. 

Centralised applications

Although the taskforce has had just one meeting to date, Caitriona said its work so far has been positive. 

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“The goal essentially is that no parent will have to go through this again,” Caitriona said. 

Alongside the taskforce, a pilot programme is being trialed to improve the application process for special education school places.

In an effort to move away from the existing system where parents need to make multiple separate applications to different schools, a centralised application process has been set up.

Speaking yesterday, Minister Foley said that if successful, this “may well be a model of best practice going forward that we can employ in other areas.”

The pilot only includes 13 schools to begin with, but Caitriona said it is “very welcome” given how stressful the application process currently is. 

“The process is very, very stressful. You literally have to apply to every school in the area.

“Admissions could open from October and they could run until February.

“You’re getting letters and drips of information here and there. You’re literally watching for the postman every day to see are you going to get a letter,” Caitriona said.

“For the common application process to go nationwide, that would be amazing. It would take so much pressure off the parents,” she added. 

However, even if the application process is improved, a shortage of places still remains.

Among Rian’s pre-school class, just one out of four children secured a school place for September.

Meanwhile, according to data collected by the Dublin 15 Primary Principal Network, 111 children in primary schools in the area are not in the appropriate settings for their needs.

Síle Parsons is another member of the taskforce and is also the spokesperson for the campaign group ‘Autism School Dublin 15′, which was initially set up six years ago to campaign for a special education school for the area.

Responding to the Minister’s assertion that there are now more special education places available in Dublin 15 than there is demand for, Síle questioned the criteria the Department is using to deem a school place appropriate.

“Why is it that parents have to accept what’s available to them rather than what is best suited for their child or for their family?,” she asked.

Síle also made the point that many children are forced to travel long journeys to and from school each day and yet these school places are deemed by the Department to be appropriate.

“They’re expecting children to travel large distances and still arrive regulated and ready to learn. And that’s just not how it works.”

“Every child is entitled to an appropriate education within their community,” Síle told The Journal. 

Her message to politicians ahead of the election is not to make this a political issue. 

“There needs to be a common action plan that all [political] parties agree on, that no matter who gets into government, this is actually going to be a priority.

“It’s not something that should be made into a political football, because the kids are the ones who are going to miss out.”

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