Mattie McGrath urges urgent action on delayed special school classrooms

I'm naive too, very naive, we've put this off a few times, to get the Minister for Education here, but she's steadfastly refused. It's more that Siobhan Caius and all the staff are pupils, their families and their parents' association, and the supporters of Scotland's who fundraise and support them. This has just gone beyond the joke, that a special school, special children, could be treated like this. It's typical of the anatomy that has happened in here with this government. We now have a date for an election, we think we'll have it today, but we have no date for a Schoamer Schola, for our schoolrooms in Cachlan. Can I get a bit faster than Schoamer Schola in Cachlan? When are the modular classrooms that were sanctioned by the AOE going to be put in place? When will phase two of the planning permission application begin for the remainder of the modular classrooms as promised? And number three, when is there going to be proper, this is the most important of all, when is there going to be proper and meaningful engagement? With the wonderful Siobhan Caius, Siobhan Caius Ryan, principal of the school and her staff and her board of management. This was more important, they are the people, they are the enablers, they do powerful work. Some of them have been injured because of the unsuitability and the dangerous conditions there. So, you, Minister, on behalf of the Minister of Education this morning, have a direct responsibility and a duty of care to the staff in the Dalte Golaire, the pupils there in that school, to make sure that, of all, in the first instance, safety, and some are out on a salt leave and being injured. So, that's not good enough. We want these special children to be nourished and to be cherished. They are by their families, but the school do, and they are by the school, the whole staff, I couldn't say enough about them. But they're not by the Department of Education, and your department is sadly lacking here. It's the most important priority of all here. You pass children's first legislation, but you're not doing it. So, will Minister Foley confirm that the delay, what is the delay in the DOE giving approval for this department? It's gone beyond time, and it's a very serious issue. And that's why Deputy Brown and I have come together here to raise this this morning, in the interest of the Dalte, the pupils, I said, and the staff and management of this wonderful institution. Thank you very much. I would like to thank the deputies for raising the matter, as it provides me with an opportunity to clarify, on behalf of the Minister, the current position in relation to Scull, in Caeshal County Tipperary. Enabling children with special education needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for the Department and for the National Council for Special Education, or the NCSE. The vast majority of children with special education needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional support, special classes and special school places are provided. For 2024, €2.7 billion is being spent on special education, an increase of €113 million, and this is dedicated to providing support for children with special educational needs. This will allow for, amongst other things, the opening of up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools and 300 additional special school places. This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented, and represents in excess of 27% of the Department's education's total allocation for 2023. Scull and Inse is a co-educational special school under the patronage of the Tipperary Association for Special Needs. Enrollments at the school in September of 2023 were 150 pupils, and the school has a current staffing of principal plus 24 special class teachers. The National Council for Special Education has a responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. While the Department and the NCC are working closely on a more streamlined and joined-up planning process to ensure a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school year, and is committed to delivering an inclusive educational environment for all pupils. The Department and the NCSE continue to work closely in planning for the delivery of new places required to meet forecasted demand. Since 2020, the Department has invested over €5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 950 school building projects, and with construction currently underway at approximately 350 other projects, which include 37 new school buildings. These 350 projects currently at construction involve a total state investment of over €1.5 billion, and the Department announced earlier this year that close to 90 projects, including 28 new school buildings, would be authorised to proceed from tender stage to construction over the course of 2024 and early 2025. In total, around €800 million will be invested in these projects under the Department's large-scale capital programme and additional accommodation scheme for essential classroom accommodation. Between projects currently under construction and the projects moving to construction in this latest phase, investments by the Department of Education are adding over 550,000 square metres of new modernised capacity to our school estate. This is a record level of funding of investment in school buildings, and it will expand the number of school places, significantly increase provision for special education, and upgrade and modernise our school infrastructure. The impact of this will be felt to communities right across the country. With regard to schools in a special school, the Department is currently assessing options with a view to identifying the optimum solutions for the long-term accommodation needs to the school. In this regard, the Department has approved the provision of modular accommodation for four classrooms for the school to cater for immediate needs. The Department officials are also currently engaging with the school as part of the assessment process for the school's longer-term accommodation needs, with a view to making the most appropriate provision possible for the schools and for its current and future students. Minister, I am extremely disappointed to hear you read out another waffle from the Department. The Department are currently assessing the option. Just imagine that, when I have a document here that in December 2022, the DOE promised 12 modular classrooms to deal with accommodation. February 2023, DOE changed this to five modular classrooms, citing a planning issue. March 2023, approval was received for five modular classrooms to be ready for September 2023. Where are we now? The dying days of this Government, and indeed 2024. June 2023, confirmation that these modular classrooms would not be on site by September 2023. I understand that schools have not received any engagement to date when the modular classrooms are going to be built. So that is scandalous. Shocking. And I thought you were going to have answers today, because I did protest yesterday when the Minister wasn't coming, and we were told you would have the answers. You have no answers. The Department are assessing. How can this Department stand over this, and the Minister stand over it, that special children, Dina Oog, especially Ulta, that have been treated like this? We actually need a new, especially a new school in Clonmel, our capital town, but that's not for today, for the special children in South Tipperary, in Clonmel, but Castle and her excellent team, both teachers and carers, need to be supported. Above all, it needs certainty, not looking into a black hole of moving paper and assessments and assessments. The Department of Education continues to provide very significant funding in support of the education of children with special educational needs, which is a priority for this Government with over a quarter of the entire education budget dedicated to special education in recent years. The Department and the NCSE continue to work closely together to plan strategically to meet the needs of children with special educational needs, including those with complex needs who require a special school placement. The Deputy should be assured that the identification of the optimum accommodation solution for the school is a priority for the Department, and the Department will be in further discussion with the school as soon as it is reviewed all options for its future accommodation needs, and this process will be completed as soon as possible. The detail means that we can do things with these students from Jesus and her grandchildren means that February 30th other Notre Dameän Gloria, as well as it is, especially if you've been able toلفize aус, aバ timber option, a symle of the student, a 추천 area and a wider access to everyone with Muchas�illas, and these individuals, we are now going to be logical for our community through the building in our entire building club.