A row is looming between schools and the Department of Education over unpublished plans to oblige principals and teachers to play a key role in completing education assessments for vulnerable students.
Earlier this year the High Court struck down an assessment of needs process – which is used to identify the kind of services disabled children need to meet their full potential – and found it did not meet requirements under the Disability Act.
The department is understood to be finalising a revised reporting process for all schools which, officials estimate, could take 20-60 minutes to complete per child.
However, the plans have sparked anger among school management bodies who say the new process threatens to “overwhelm” schools and take away “precious contact time” for disabled children.
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A letter, seen by The Irish Times and signed by school management bodies, expresses “serious concern” about the unpublished plans.
It states: “the unrelenting pace of change in special education policy in the past few years, combined with the exponential increase in needs in schools, and consequential workload, means that many schools are already at crisis point.”
The groups have “serious concerns that the communication to schools of a requirement to engage in the AON [assessment of needs] process at this time will overwhelm them, if a commitment is not given to providing concrete additional resources”.
“As organisations engaging with schools on a daily basis, we are keenly aware of the very real challenges that face most schools right now in seeking to meet the diverse needs of their students, with teaching, co-ordination and leadership and management resources stretched to the limit.”
The letter is signed by school management bodies including the Catholic Primary School Management Association, Educate Together, An Foras Pátrúnachta, the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education, Church of Ireland board of education and Muslim Primary board of education, as well as the Irish Primary Principals Network.
Teachers’ unions and some second-level school management bodies are understood to share similar concerns.
The signatories are seeking extra support for schools by allowing them to bank teaching hours used in compiling these reports to ensure children do not lose out.
The Department of Education is due to update the High Court on the new reporting process on March 22nd, and is likely to have a draft circular prepared for schools by this date.
In a statement, the Department confirmed it was working to ensure any revised process meets its requirements in law and is also supportive of children with special educational needs.
“The Department had previously provided a range of resources and supports to the education system to comply with the requirements of the AON [assessment of needs] process and is currently updating all of the materials and supports to meet the further requirements of this judgement,” it said.
Group representing children with disabilities and their families, meanwhile, have expressed anger that they were not consulted over the plans.
It comes amid controversy over changes to how special education teaching hours are being allocated to schools from next September.
Disability groups, who say they were not consulted on this either, say many vulnerable children risk losing out on vital support, although the Department insists most schools will retain what they have or gain hours.
Adam Harris, chief executive of autism charity AsIAm, said the “failure to consult disability organisations on a disability rights matter is disappointing but sadly unsurprising”.
He said this was despite assurances to the contrary provided to AsIAm, Inclusion Ireland and Down Syndrome Ireland following recent controversial changes to special education teaching hours.
“Once again we see a lack of value on voice of the child in departmental processes. We once again call on the department to take a rights-based approach to meeting the needs of our children and urge Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister of State for special education Josepha Madigan to immediately put in place mechanisms to ensure meaningful consultation moving forward,” he said.
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