‘Our kids deserve better’
Parents at wits end over lack of school places for children with special educational needs
Parents of children with additional needs have spoken about how they are at their wits end over the lack of places in secondary schools for their sons. Eimear McNally and Alexandra Jedrzejewska
are co-founders of All Abilities Action Alliance Louth (4AL), an advocacy and support group with a mission to empower people of all abilities, as well as their caregivers and families, to fully participate in the life of the community.
A recent study showed that only half of the 18 secondary schools in Louth can facilitate teaching kids with special needs. 4AL insist that every child in the country deserves a place in a secondary school and a place in their local community. The practice of bussing kids to schools in a different county can no longer be allowed to continue according to the group.
Eimear, who is the Vice Secretary of 4AL is originally from Cork but has been living in Louth since 2015. Her son Myles has additional needs and is currently in primary school in Loughlinstown in South County Dublin due to there being no places in any school in Co. Louth for him. He had previously been attending a primary school in Ardee up until 2022 until the school principal told Eimear they could no longer teach Myles due to what she described as ‘challenging behaviour’.
According to Eimear the last two years have proved extremely difficult as she tried and failed to find a Primary school place for her son in Louth and now that battle begins once again as she tries to find a secondary school place for Myles.
“Everything was fine up until 2022,” states Eimear. “We were living in Castlebellingham and Myles was attending primary school in Ardee. He was in a special needs class and all was ok until I was contacted by the school principal who told me the school could no longer have Myles as a pupil due to his challenging behaviour. He was 9 at the time and I emphatically disputed that his behaviour was challenging. I was paying private therapists to go into the school to help with Myles. At first I tried to solve the issue and spoke to the principal urging her to reconsider but when it became clear that was not going to happen I had to start looking for an alternative school in Louth.
“It proved impossible. Eventually, his Dad who lives in Dublin was able to get him into a school in Loughlinstown which is in South County Dublin. I was ordered by the court to agree to this and the upshot of that was Myles moved to Dublin to move in with his Dad and now I see him at weekends. Because he is not enrolled in a school in Louth he is at the bottom of every list with regards to secondary school places.
“The National Council for Special Education are supposedly there to help parents and advise them on how to get their kids into schools if they have special educational needs. The help they give parents is very limited. Basically, it is down to parents to contact every school individually themselves. All we want is the same rights as everybody else,” pleaded Eimear.
“Everything is just a battle and the next one will be trying to find a secondary school place for Myles,” she added.
Alexandra Jedrzejewska’s son Tristan is in 5th class in St Nicholas’ Primary school in Dundalk. She says her son is in the community where he belongs and she is determined that he won’t be bussed out to a school in a different county when the time arrives for him to start secondary school.
“We live in Dundalk and we are part of the Dundalk community. I want my son to be able to go to secondary school in the community like every other child who doesn’t have special educational needs. The cost of transporting children outside the community to schools in different counties is an estimated €80m. The government need to ensure that there are adequate places in schools in Louth to stop this happening. I know personally of at least 20 parents who are transitioning from primary to secondary next year and they are all worried sick about securing places in local schools for their kids.
“We are our children’s voice and that is why we are going to fight tooth and nail to ensure there is a secondary school place for every single child in Ireland. We are a wealthy country and our budget surplus is massive. Where is the issue here? ,” asked Alexandra.
“The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) is an international human rights treaty, which exists to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all disabled persons. It was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and opened for signature on 30 March 2007. The Irish Government signed the Convention in 2007, and ratified it in March 2018. They must deliver on their promise,” stated Alexandra.
Last June a circular from the Department of Education to primary and secondary school principals stated that “It can be expected that medium and large primary schools that do not currently have a special class will be contacted by the NCSE, in the coming school years, to ensure that additional special class capacity in created in the primary system. At post-primary level it will involve an average of 4 special classes in each post-primary school. ”
According to Alexandra the phrase ‘in the coming years’ sums up the lack of urgency and alarming detachment from the Department of Education. According to Alexandra and Eimear the issue needs to be dealt with immediately given the fact that there is a staggering demand for special education classes in Co. Louth. According to Alexandra, one school in Louth informed them that up to four pupils are applying per one place in the school.
The Dundalk Leader contacted six local secondary schools (Bush Post Primary, St Louis, St Mary’s Secondary School, Colaiste Ris, Dundalk Grammar School and O’Fiach) asking if they had any imminent plans to open special classes for children with extra educational needs. The only reply received was from St Louis Principal Michelle Dolan who stated:
‘We planned to open a special class in 2023 but we needed approval from NCSE and this did not happen. If a place is approved we are willing and happy to open a special class in 2024,”
A representative from O’Fiach told Dundalk Leader to contact LMETB for a comment but no comment has been received at time of going to press.
The Dundalk Leader has also asked the NCSE why approval was not given to St Louis to open up a special class in the school but no response has been received at time of going to print.
