Paul Murphy: crisis in school places for children with disabilities
Paul Murphy criticised the handling of school places for children with disabilities, saying there is a major crisis and that he hears words but sees no action to avert it. He urged ministers to meet with parents and challenged assurances of 400 extra special classes, asking where the teachers, 800 SNAs and buildings will come from.
Paul Murphy set out urgent concerns about school-place allocations, saying he was contacted by four different families in 24 hours and that there are "thousands, literally thousands" of parents in a panic as applications are decided now.
He named cases raised with him: Elliot, whose family was rejected by six relevant special-class schools; Myla and Charlie, both facing no available special classes at their senior school; Kyra, whose parent applied to 25 schools and received 22 rejections; Leighton, whose mother is regularly called to change his nappy at school; Marley, with Down Syndrome and autism, who applied to 12 schools with no acceptances; and Abby Lee, whose delayed assessment of needs risks coming too late for applications.
While welcoming a pledge of 400 extra special classes for September, Murphy pressed for detail and said he heard no plan on implementation - specifically where the teachers, the 800 SNAs and the buildings for those classes will come from.
He described one special school's conditions as "nothing short of shameful": no proper toilets, concrete lifting from the floor, no accessibility and no sensory room, despite devoted staff and parents. He said the Department had repeatedly refused invitations from the principal and board to meet.
Murphy accused the government of breaching the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by failing to provide the necessary resources and political will for equal education. He called on ministers to meet parents, hear their stories and commit to concrete action ahead of September.
Immediate crisis for families
Paul Murphy set out urgent concerns about school-place allocations, saying he was contacted by four different families in 24 hours and that there are "thousands, literally thousands" of parents in a panic as applications are decided now.
Detailed examples of children affected
He named cases raised with him: Elliot, whose family was rejected by six relevant special-class schools; Myla and Charlie, both facing no available special classes at their senior school; Kyra, whose parent applied to 25 schools and received 22 rejections; Leighton, whose mother is regularly called to change his nappy at school; Marley, with Down Syndrome and autism, who applied to 12 schools with no acceptances; and Abby Lee, whose delayed assessment of needs risks coming too late for applications.
Questions on resources and planning
While welcoming a pledge of 400 extra special classes for September, Murphy pressed for detail and said he heard no plan on implementation - specifically where the teachers, the 800 SNAs and the buildings for those classes will come from.
Conditions in a special school
He described one special school's conditions as "nothing short of shameful": no proper toilets, concrete lifting from the floor, no accessibility and no sensory room, despite devoted staff and parents. He said the Department had repeatedly refused invitations from the principal and board to meet.
Legal and political challenge
Murphy accused the government of breaching the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by failing to provide the necessary resources and political will for equal education. He called on ministers to meet parents, hear their stories and commit to concrete action ahead of September.
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Transcript
There is a major crisis in terms of school places coming down the line again and I hear words but I do not see action to avert that crisis. In 24 hours last week I was contacted by four different families all in a panic. Elliot's parents in Selbridge telling me that they had applied for the six relevant schools in their area with special classes and have now got rejections from all six. In a panic because Elliot is currently in a special preschool they can see the benefit of that to him and they worry about what will happen if he does not have that. By Stephanie whose daughter Myla is currently in Sacred Heart Junior School they have a special class she can see the benefit of that but she is looking forward to going into the senior side but there is no special class and what is going to happen to Myla there. By Michelle whose son Charlie is in precisely that situation he is in the senior national school in Sacred Heart. No special class, no special teacher now, one SNA effectively playing the role as teacher. By Charlotte whose case the case of her daughter Kyra I have raised multiple times in the last all term and this time around has applied for 25 schools and has 22 rejections and is waiting on three. This evening I met with Anita who is in the gallery with many of these others whose son Leighton needs a special school, does not have a special school and is therefore in mainstream school. Anita is called on a regular basis into the school to change her son's nappy on the floor. I met with Erica whose son Marley has Down Syndrome, has autism, has applied for 12 different schools and has no acceptances, no place for September. With Sarah whose daughter Abby Lee first was down for an assessment of needs when she was one and a half. She is now almost five, has been applying to schools and is being told oh no without the assessment of needs you are not going to get a place. The assessment needs is coming but it is going to be too late in terms of the application process. We could go on and go on and go on. There are thousands, literally thousands of other parents in a panic right now because the applications are happening right now who do not know whether they are going to get an appropriate place for their children. The first thing to say and I was asked multiple times and it is welcome that the Ministers are here and staying here for the whole debate but will you meet with these parents? Will you hear their stories, hear their actual experience, hear what their problems actually are? The second thing I would say is that I mean it is welcome to hear the fact that you are saying there is going to be 400 extra special classes in September. But I don't see it, I don't hear the plan to make that happen. I don't hear where are the teachers going to come from, where are the 800 SNAs going to come from, where are the buildings for some of these special classes going to come from. I really don't hear it. And the reality on the ground does not suggest a different approach in terms of actually putting the resources that we need in. I know we have one special school which I will not name tonight but you have been contacted about it, both Ministers have been contacted about it, the Department has been contacted about it repeatedly. The conditions in this school are nothing short of shameful. The teachers are very devoted, the parents are devoted of course, but the conditions in the school are horrendous. No proper toilets in reality, concrete coming up from the floor, no accessibility, no special, no sensory room in what is a special class, horrendous conditions in reality and teachers doing their best. And the Department has refused invitations by the Principal and the Board of Management to meet with them. They are not providing resources. I will finish with the point that you are in breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities very, very clearly. The right of children to an education equal to others in their community is spelled out. You are in breach of it and the reason you are in breach of it is that you refuse to provide the resources, the political will, we know what the answers are, the government, the book stops with you. If we are still in this situation in September there is no shirking it. Please meet with the parents. Thank you Deputy Richard Boyd-Barrett. Thank you Deputy Richard Boyd-Barrett.