George Lawlor: MGLD Cuts Threaten Our Lady of Fatima Pupils
George Lawlor addresses Ministers this evening about the government's proposal to remove MGLD designation from schools such as Our Lady of Fatima School in Wexford. He warns that removing the designation would dismantle essential supports for children with mild general learning disabilities and urges Ministers to review and reverse the decision.
What he said: George Lawlor set out how MGLD status provides tailored teaching, smaller classes and specialised resources for pupils at Our Lady of Fatima in Wexford and similar schools across the country. He named Darryl Cogley, Chair of the Parents Association, and his daughter Grace, who attended the chamber as a reminder of the human impact.
Voices from Wexford: Lawlor relayed parents' and teachers' concerns, saying the proposal is misguided and will be harmful. He emphasised that parents view the school as a community that understands their children in ways mainstream settings do not, and that teachers warn vulnerable pupils would be scattered into unprepared environments.
Consequences: The speech argues that removing MGLD designation would strip protections designed for children with mild general learning disabilities rather than modernising or streamlining services. Lawlor warned that the change risks undermining specialised, consistent and compassionate education for affected pupils.
Appeal to Ministers: Lawlor concluded by urging Ministers to review and reverse the decision, stressing the scale of impact on children in Wexford and across the country if the designations are removed.
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Thank you Comhairle, Ministers, I want to speak with the impact of your proposals on MGLD schools. The future of children who rely on schools like Our Lady of Fatima School in Wexford Town and the government's proposal to remove its MGLD designation threatens to dismantle the very support system that these children depend on and I'm delighted to see Daryl Cogley, Chair of the Parents Association and his daughter Grace, a student at Our Lady of Fatima School in the gallery this evening. People across County Wexford have said it plainly, this proposal is misguided and will be harmful. It disregards the lived reality of families, the expertise of teachers and the needs of children who deserve the specialised, consistent and compassionate education of Our Lady of Fatima and schools like it right across the country. We must be absolutely clear about what this designation means. The MGLD status is not just a label, it is a lifeline. It ensures that children with mild general learning disabilities receive the tailored teaching, the smaller classes, the specialised resources and an environment built around their strengths and their challenges and removing this designation, it doesn't modernise education, it doesn't streamline the services, it strips away protections that were put in place because the children in these schools needed them. Parents have said repeatedly that this school is not just a building, it's a community that understands their children in a way mainstream settings simply cannot. Teachers have warned that removing the designation will scatter vulnerable students into environments that they are not prepared, not resourced and not trained to meet their needs. I urge you Ministers, on behalf of the children in Wexford and indeed on behalf of the children across the country that will be affected by the removal of this these designations, to review and reverse this decision because it will impact so greatly on the affected children.
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