Paul Murphy: Urges Expansion of Post-Primary Autism Classes
Paul Murphy spoke about protests by parents of children with disabilities and called for expanded post-primary autism provision and a stronger role for ETBs. He criticised long waiting lists, inadequate supports and the absence of secondary autism classes, urging systemic change.
Protests and parent testimony
He described hundreds of parents protesting outside the Dáil, and demonstrations in Cork and Enniscorthy, organised by Families Unite for Services and Support (FUSS) under the hashtag Let's Make a Fuss. He said the speeches from parents were powerful and highlighted that families feel forced to protest or take court action to secure basic rights and supports for their children.
Gaps in post-primary provision
He warned that while multiple primary schools now have autism classes, post-primary provision has not kept pace - in Talla there is currently only one secondary school with an autism class. He said that situation is unsustainable as pupils graduate from primary school and require progression to appropriate second-level places and curricula.
Role of ETBs and school responsibilities
He advocated a greater role for Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in providing special education at post-primary level and said every secondary school should play its part in enrolling and supporting students with special needs. He argued intake should be organised on a catchment area basis and noted successful examples where post-primary schools have embraced provision.
Policy background and measures cited
He invoked the 1998 Act and the introduction of automatic enrolment and special pupil-teacher ratios for children with special needs at primary level, saying the same progress has not occurred at post-primary level. He pointed to a recent Cork ETB post-primary special school as a significant success and urged the ETBs to act as patrons for new post-primary provision to ensure rightful progression from primary to secondary.
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Last Friday, hundreds of parents of children with disabilities protested outside the Dáil, there was also a protest in Cork and in Enniscorthy, it was organised by Families Unite for Services and Support, FUSS, and the hashtag they used was Let's Make a Fuss, and I tell you, the speeches that we heard were extremely powerful, you're talking about parents who are forced to make a fuss, forced to struggle to try to get what their children deserve as a basic right and as a basic need, and they really shouldn't have to, they shouldn't have to have protests, they shouldn't have to take court cases against the state, they shouldn't have to try and pressurise for just the basic rights, but they feel that they have no choice because their children are utterly failed by the state in terms of the extremely long waiting lists, the inadequate supports, and the absence of support in our schools. I want to raise a particular issue about the fact that in Talla, in all of Talla, there is only one secondary school with an autism class. There are now thankfully multiple primary schools with autism classes, but we're getting to a point where students will graduate from primary school, want to be going on to secondary school, and there's only one secondary school at the moment. Surely that doesn't make any sense, and we need to expand the number of schools with autism classes. Deputy Murphy raised the issue of, I don't want any court cases or protests, they shouldn't have to be protests or court cases in relation to children with special needs. I would have brought in the 1998 Act, and would have brought in the automatic enrolment for children with special needs in 1998, which was the first time that children with autism had a special pupil teacher ratio, or that any child with a special needs had a pupil teacher ratio. And that brought in special classes within mainstream schools, and then children within the mainstream classes themselves. At post-primary level, that hasn't followed through on what has happened in primary level. It's crazy that there's only one school in Talla at a post-primary level. I would see envisage a greater role for the ETBs in the provision of special education, particularly post-primary level. And every secondary school should play its part in respect to providing for children with special needs, every post-primary school. And there needs to be a proper second level curriculum provided and intake by all schools, and certainly it should be resolved on a catchment area basis. It can't be left to just one school to provide. And in any event, given the needs of post-primary autism, one school will have a limit to what it can do. And because of progression and space and facilities, there have been some very good examples of where post-primary schools have embraced this. And recently, in Cork, the ETB started a new special school at post-primary level. And it's turned out to be a significant success. And I do think the ETB need to play a stronger role across the country in terms of being the patrons of new schools, at post-primary level especially. And to make sure that children have rightful progression from primary to post-primary. Because the same sort of revolution hasn't happened at post-primary level that has happened at primary level over the last 20 years. and and and and and and and
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