Martin Kenny urges action on St. Cecilia's school placements
Martin Kenny raised urgent concerns in the Dáil about St. Cecilia's Special School in Sligo, where children are reportedly being denied places because necessary funding sanctions have not been approved. He asked the Tánaiste to intervene and to prompt Ministers Naughten and Moynihan to provide specific answers.
Martin Kenny outlines that St. Cecilia's Special School in Sligo serves children with special educational needs up to age 18 and is described as a lifeline for many families. Parents have contacted him frustrated and frantic because they cannot secure places for their children due to funding not being sanctioned.
The deputy reports speaking with the school's principal, who expressed frustration that this is the first time the school has faced this barrier. There is worry among parents that children may be inappropriately moved into mainstream special classes despite severe disabilities that require specialised settings.
Martin Kenny recounts that he submitted a parliamentary question in April and received a general reply outlining national investment in special schools, but no specific information on St. Cecilia's. He highlights a broader issue with PQs receiving general answers when specific details are requested.
In response, the Tánaiste confirmed the government's position on providing appropriate school places and said she would speak directly to Minister Naughten and Minister Moynihan and ask them to come back on the specifics. Martin Kenny urges direct intervention to secure the sanctioned funding and the special classes required for affected children.
Summary of the problem
Martin Kenny outlines that St. Cecilia's Special School in Sligo serves children with special educational needs up to age 18 and is described as a lifeline for many families. Parents have contacted him frustrated and frantic because they cannot secure places for their children due to funding not being sanctioned.
Parents' concerns and school response
The deputy reports speaking with the school's principal, who expressed frustration that this is the first time the school has faced this barrier. There is worry among parents that children may be inappropriately moved into mainstream special classes despite severe disabilities that require specialised settings.
Parliamentary question and government reply
Martin Kenny recounts that he submitted a parliamentary question in April and received a general reply outlining national investment in special schools, but no specific information on St. Cecilia's. He highlights a broader issue with PQs receiving general answers when specific details are requested.
Government reaction and requested follow-up
In response, the Tánaiste confirmed the government's position on providing appropriate school places and said she would speak directly to Minister Naughten and Minister Moynihan and ask them to come back on the specifics. Martin Kenny urges direct intervention to secure the sanctioned funding and the special classes required for affected children.
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Transcript
Tánaiste, I want to raise with you today the issue of St. Cecilia's Special School in Sligo. It's a special school that takes children with special educational needs up until the age of 18, and it's a lifeline for many children. However, we've been contacted by parents, many of them very frantic and frustrated because they're unable to get a place in the school, and that's because they can't get the sanction of the necessary funding. I've spoke to the principal of the school, she's very frustrated, it's the first time this has happened, and there's a feeling out there that there's an attempt to try and get these children to go into the special classes in mainstream schools, which would be totally inappropriate due to the severity of their disabilities and their special needs. I put in a parliamentary question back in April, and the reply I got basically stated about how many new special schools have been built, what has been done here and there all over the country in places like Cork and Dublin, but nothing about the specific school I asked about, which is totally frustrating, and I think that's one of the issues with PQs, which needs to be brought up, that a lot of the time we ask questions about a specific thing and we get an answer about general, and that needs to change, and that's just a separate point. But Tánaiste, can I please appeal to you to intervene in this case to ensure that these children get the special classes that they need in St Cecilia's special school. Thank you very much Deputy Kenny for raising the issue in relation to St Cecilia's school, and I just firstly want to say it's absolutely the position of the government that it's about providing appropriate school places, so this government has shown that in terms of investing in special schools, I think there was a view in the past perhaps that everybody could be mainstreamed, that's not practical for some children. If we parent I'm sure we'd like to see that situation, but some children will always have additional needs that just require special, and that's fine. So on foot of you raising the specific situation with St Cecilia's special school, I'll speak directly to Minister Nocturne and Minister Moynihan and ask that they come back to you on the specifics of that and see what we can do.