Special needs pupils without school places are being ‘failed’ by department, says children’s ombudsman

The Department of Education is “failing” children with special needs who do not have school places for next September, according to a report by the Ombudsman for Children.

Latest figures indicate there are dozens of children with additional needs in Dublin without a school place, while campaigners say hundreds more have been forced to accept inappropriate school places that do not meet their assessed needs.

The report, Plan for Places: Forward Planning, says that despite the known population of students with special needs, there are shortfalls in the system’s capacity to meet their needs.

“For children who live in provision ‘black spots’, most notably Dublin and Cork, the system can fail in its response. That such failings occur is not acceptable,” said Dr Niall Muldoon, Ombudsman for Children.

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The report estimates that as many as 15,500 children have to travel outside their local school catchment area every day to access a school place.

Meanwhile, nearly 1,500 students are receiving home tuition, which the report recommends should only be used temporarily and as a last resort.

Dr Muldoon added: “There are also around 4,000 children currently waiting for a diagnostic assessment in order to qualify for a school place in the first place. These children need to be given access to a psychologist via the available State services to establish whether they need a special class or school place in the short term.”

The heavy toll on parents who are left to source appropriate services for their children is also highlighted in the report.

Many say they have been forced to apply to dozens of schools and “pray” that a door opens to them. One parent described how a State agency warned that if they opened up school places too early, “children would come out of the woodwork”.

The report also raises concern that too much onus is placed on the shoulders of parents to get the system to respond to their children’s needs.

With about 25 per cent of the student population in Ireland estimated to have a special educational need, the situation will continue to worsen unless steps are taken to increase capacity locally, the report states.

The Department of Education has pointed out that it is spending more than €2 billion — more than 25 per cent of the education budget — providing a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs.

As a result, it says the number of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at “unprecedented” levels.

Dr Muldoon acknowledged the investment made to date, but said authorities needed to reimagine the education system if children with special needs are to fully enjoy their right to education.

He said the decentralised nature of our education system means it is largely up to individual schools to decide whether they will provide school places for children with special needs.

Dr Muldoon said there was a need to recalibrate the balance between government oversight of education and schools’ autonomy.

“This recalibration needs to occur in order to ensure that the State assumes an appropriate level of responsibility for advancing and protecting children’s rights within the education system,” he said.