Kathleen Funchion demands action on class sizes and school places
Kathleen Funchion spoke on 28 July 2020 about persistent problems in education, urging the minister and the department to take proactive action on class sizes, school places, school transport, and supports for children with underlying health conditions and additional needs. She criticised continued high class sizes and delays in diagnosis, including autism assessments, and requested concrete plans for children who may not safely return to classrooms amid COVID concerns.
Main concerns raised
She highlighted that class sizes remain among the highest in Europe and criticised the lack of action to address this long-standing issue. Funchion recalled raising class size concerns as far back as 2007 and said the current moment offers an opportunity that is being missed.
Children with health conditions and additional needs
She pressed for specific plans for children with underlying health conditions and for those with parents who are vulnerable, stressing they should not be left isolated or abandoned. She also raised concerns about children with additional needs whose diagnoses have been delayed by COVID, noting some clearly require ASD class places but lack the paperwork due to delays.
School places and transport shortages
Funchion criticised ongoing shortages of primary and secondary school places and recurring problems with school transport in different towns and villages. She cited a recent example concerning a lack of secondary school places for boys in Kilkenny City and said replies so far have been unsatisfactory.
Call for department leadership and long-term solutions
She urged the department and the minister to be proactive, to work with deputies who want to help, and to pursue long-term solutions to avoid annual stress, worry and anxiety for students and parents. Her remarks sought clearer plans for September returns and durable fixes for capacity and transport issues.
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Thanks very much. First of all, I want to commend my colleague Deputy O'Leary, not just for bringing forward this motion, but for all of the work that he has done in relation to education, particularly over the last few weeks and months. Minister, I'm hoping that we will see a far more proactive approach from yourself regarding the issues that exist in the education sector, because it's not just COVID, there's very serious issues right throughout education, and we do need to see leadership from yourself, I think, regarding these issues. Class sizes. We have some of the highest class sizes in Europe, in this country, and yet instead of taking the opportunity now to address this issue, we don't see anything at all being done on it, and this is an issue, it's not new, it's been here for years. I remember one of the very first public meetings I attended back in 2007 was in relation to class sizes, and yet here we are still talking about it. I want to ask very specifically, what are the plans that are going to be in place for children with underlying health conditions or with parents with underlying health conditions, where they don't feel it's safe for them to return to the classroom? I hope that they won't be left isolated and, you know, kind of abandoned. I hope there's an actual plan in place for these children, and children with additional needs, particularly those who now have had a delay in their diagnosis, particularly in terms of autism, who it might be clear to everyone that they need an ASD class place, but they just don't have it written down on paper because of the delays in COVID. What's going to happen for those children? What's going to happen for those children? Where are they going to return to in September? Or will there be any option for them? Every single year, we have the same two issues. Class places, school places, the lack of school places, whether it's primary school, secondary school and school transport. And can I ask, can we please look at areas that have been highlighted time and time again? I actually highlighted an issue to your predecessor a few weeks ago and only received a reply last week about the lack of secondary school places for boys in Kilkenny City. And the answer leaves a lot to be desired. There is clearly an issue. It's been raised time and time again in this area around secondary school places. Can the department look at this where they know there's capacity issues and actually do something about it and work with those of us who want to do something about it as well? And it's the same in relation to school transport. It's a different town or a different village, but every single year there's an area in people's constituency that don't have access to school transport. We know these issues exist, so can the department please start being a bit proactive and actually look at solutions and long-term solutions. What we can do is that every single year there's stress and worry and anxiety for students and for parents that can be avoided if we were to look at long-term solutions for these issues. Thanks, Chair. Thank you, Deputy. Thank you. Thank you.
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