Pringle: Government must ensure appropriate school places for all children
- Updated: 15th June 2022
Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, said Government must publish the data on the number of children without an appropriate school place in September, after a snap survey showed at least 267 children are in that position.
Addressing the Dáil on Tuesday, Deputy Pringle said: “It is very concerning to think that there are many parents in this country who have been unable to find a place at an appropriate school for their child this coming September.
“I can’t imagine the stress these parents are under, being forced into a situation such as this so late in the year and with September only around the corner,” he said.
The deputy said a snap survey by AsIAm, Ireland’s national autism charity, is “particularly troubling”. The survey showed that at least 267 children do not have an appropriate school place for September.
Deputy Pringle said: “Bear in mind, the survey is merely a snapshot of a nationwide crisis, with less than half of respondents based in Dublin. It is clear that there is a massive shortage in appropriate school places for children with ASD.”
He said: “Shockingly, 241 respondents do not expect to receive an offer of an appropriate school place at all before September either, meaning that many children will have no school to go to next year. Imagine how that will feel as a student and as a parent.”
The deputy said: “What’s worse is that we know that this number is nowhere near accurate, and it is expected that there are numerous more stuck in the same situation. We also know that the government most likely does know, or at least has the means to find out, what that exact number is. Despite this, these numbers have yet to be released.”
He said: “We need to ensure that there are adequate resources for all children to get the education they deserve. No child should be left behind.”
Deputy Pringle said: “I know this is a serious problem in my own constituency of Donegal and in many rural constituencies, where there is just a complete lack of services in some parts.” He said he has spoken with many parents who have a child with additional needs and who are forced to travel long distances for services and for appropriate schools.
He said: “I know a lot of them have submitted multiple applications to schools in hope that somewhere can offer appropriate special education.”
Deputy Pringle said: “Every child deserves and is entitled to an appropriate school place, in their locality, which meets their needs in agreement with their parents and psychologist’s report. Yet we are hearing reports of families that are unable to even get a psychologist’s report to recommend this.
“This is not acceptable and cannot be tolerated any longer,” he said.
Deputy Pringle was speaking in support of a Sinn Féin motion that calls on the government to bring in emergency measures to ensure all children have an appropriate school place, and to publish the data on the number of children without an appropriate place, to identify the scale of the problem.
The deputy said: “AsIAm states that they believe that this crisis was ‘foreseeable and preventable’, which suggests an inexcusable failure by the Department. It is clear that there has been a complete lack of pre-planning here and you have to ask why. Surely the numbers are there. Surely something could have been done sooner than June.”
