This news story needs more digging. It’s very odd that with the Department of Education having the power of compulsion that there is a shortage of special classes in Dublin particularly. As a lot of primary/ post primary schools up and down the country have these ( some unoccupied for years) it’s very strange stuff. Why has the govt not sorted out a shortage it could see coming for years?
Edit: Who except a govt troll would downvote a question about a shortage of spaces for the most vulnerable of children. Jesus wept.
Institutional segregation is what this is, like everything else this government has done nothing until it’s become an emergency and it will be a permanent segregation I’d it goes in place.
For the love of all you hold dear pay attention to this and consider come voting time, if they are willing to do this to the most vulnerable what chance do you think you and yours have.
I have seen how principals and teachers can play the system to force kids out as they don’t fit the mold this is just going to make life allot harder for those in need.
Children with Autism need targeted support to ensure effective integration into the complex world of adult society. By complex I mean how to sit at a high table amoung peers or in a consistently hyper sensory environment. I don’t think most people appreciate how debilitating autism spectrum disorder can be.
Its generally not about segregation but about crafting sufficient frameworks to support individual’s integration into society that is most helpful for creating positive life outcomes. I think this is perhaps a symptom of systemic disregard for neuro developmental and mental health issues in Ireland. It leaves everyone completely in the dark as to how to respond to the needs of those affected.
I’ve been in the privileged position to see how effective well designed environments and support for people with autism can be and there is no shame in providing that for them.
The government needs to do a lot more to help disabled people
The [Salamanca Statement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Conference_on_Special_Needs_in_Education) is the backbone of educating all children in mainstream education. While I’m not debating the educational merits of this, it’s ferociously expensive to space out special needs staff and facilities to every single school instead of bringing specialist resources under one roof. And I don’t have the figures but my gut says there is a substantially higher percentage of pupils with additional needs now than there was in 1994.
Can someone give me a summery if your arsed the link isn’t working for me.
I don’t have enough expertise or knowledge to be able to enter the debate.
What I do have, however, is decades of experience and I have sad memories from my primary school days when children with special educational needs were shunted off to “The Backward School” (so called by everyone in town, including the teachers).
Labelled, stigmatised, forgotten.
Let’s not go back to that.
It is just baffling to think that this is such a crisis. There seems to be zero foresight for education.
My school has been waiting years for prefabs to be replaced, it is “supposed” to happen in the next few years, but they’re only going to build the number of rooms we needed several years ago… we need more than that now & they haven’t even broken ground yet. Not to mention the original building that’s 60+ years old and not fit for purpose.
I hope mainstream schools aren’t painted as the enemy. I’m sure it varies a lot but in my experience, schools want to do their best for all children, including those with special needs, but sometimes its not possible to do everything asked of us.
Special classes/units need proper resources, time, training, expertise, they’re not the type of thing that can be flung up & a box ticked.
There should be support and training for teachers & SNAs, and proper sub-covered time for this. Most of our staff are terrified at the thought of being “thrown into” the unit to sink or swim.
And a mainstream class is just not the right setting for some children, especially with the minimal SNA access they’re often given. It can be desperately unfair on the child as well as their peers if they’re distressed by their environment, getting nothing meaningful out of their time there.
I have seen first hand several children who have moved on to special schools and thrived there, in the right environment. Surely there is a way to get the best of both worlds.
Maybe we could look at more reverse integration (mainstream & special schools closely linked).
I’m curious how other countries manage this, I’m sure it’s not as shambolic as it is here.
8 comments
This news story needs more digging. It’s very odd that with the Department of Education having the power of compulsion that there is a shortage of special classes in Dublin particularly. As a lot of primary/ post primary schools up and down the country have these ( some unoccupied for years) it’s very strange stuff. Why has the govt not sorted out a shortage it could see coming for years?
Edit: Who except a govt troll would downvote a question about a shortage of spaces for the most vulnerable of children. Jesus wept.
Institutional segregation is what this is, like everything else this government has done nothing until it’s become an emergency and it will be a permanent segregation I’d it goes in place.
For the love of all you hold dear pay attention to this and consider come voting time, if they are willing to do this to the most vulnerable what chance do you think you and yours have.
I have seen how principals and teachers can play the system to force kids out as they don’t fit the mold this is just going to make life allot harder for those in need.
Children with Autism need targeted support to ensure effective integration into the complex world of adult society. By complex I mean how to sit at a high table amoung peers or in a consistently hyper sensory environment. I don’t think most people appreciate how debilitating autism spectrum disorder can be.
Its generally not about segregation but about crafting sufficient frameworks to support individual’s integration into society that is most helpful for creating positive life outcomes. I think this is perhaps a symptom of systemic disregard for neuro developmental and mental health issues in Ireland. It leaves everyone completely in the dark as to how to respond to the needs of those affected.
I’ve been in the privileged position to see how effective well designed environments and support for people with autism can be and there is no shame in providing that for them.
The government needs to do a lot more to help disabled people
The [Salamanca Statement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Conference_on_Special_Needs_in_Education) is the backbone of educating all children in mainstream education. While I’m not debating the educational merits of this, it’s ferociously expensive to space out special needs staff and facilities to every single school instead of bringing specialist resources under one roof. And I don’t have the figures but my gut says there is a substantially higher percentage of pupils with additional needs now than there was in 1994.
Can someone give me a summery if your arsed the link isn’t working for me.
I don’t have enough expertise or knowledge to be able to enter the debate.
What I do have, however, is decades of experience and I have sad memories from my primary school days when children with special educational needs were shunted off to “The Backward School” (so called by everyone in town, including the teachers).
Labelled, stigmatised, forgotten.
Let’s not go back to that.
It is just baffling to think that this is such a crisis. There seems to be zero foresight for education.
My school has been waiting years for prefabs to be replaced, it is “supposed” to happen in the next few years, but they’re only going to build the number of rooms we needed several years ago… we need more than that now & they haven’t even broken ground yet. Not to mention the original building that’s 60+ years old and not fit for purpose.
I hope mainstream schools aren’t painted as the enemy. I’m sure it varies a lot but in my experience, schools want to do their best for all children, including those with special needs, but sometimes its not possible to do everything asked of us.
Special classes/units need proper resources, time, training, expertise, they’re not the type of thing that can be flung up & a box ticked.
There should be support and training for teachers & SNAs, and proper sub-covered time for this. Most of our staff are terrified at the thought of being “thrown into” the unit to sink or swim.
And a mainstream class is just not the right setting for some children, especially with the minimal SNA access they’re often given. It can be desperately unfair on the child as well as their peers if they’re distressed by their environment, getting nothing meaningful out of their time there.
I have seen first hand several children who have moved on to special schools and thrived there, in the right environment. Surely there is a way to get the best of both worlds.
Maybe we could look at more reverse integration (mainstream & special schools closely linked).
I’m curious how other countries manage this, I’m sure it’s not as shambolic as it is here.