Dozens of parents gathered outside the Department of Education in Dublin on Friday as part of a sleep-out protest to draw attention to shortages of school places for children with special needs.
Parents attached placards with pictures of their children to railings of the department headquarters on Marlborough Street with slogans such as “no child left behind”. Many parents came with sleeping bags, blankets and chairs.
Sarah Hennessy, from Co Laois, whose five-year-old son Freddie is autistic and developmentally delayed, said she had applied to 25 schools across three counties and had been rejected by all so far.
“Witnessing your child being failed is something I would not wish on anyone. It’s a lonely and isolating place,” she said.
Girl (7) could have survived if different surgery was carried out, inquest hears
US-Ukraine ties in tatters as their leaders argue in the White House
‘A boot right in my face’: Brendan Courtney assaulted in Dublin city
Gerry Thornley: Garry Ringrose’s punishment highlights a problem in the disciplinary process
“I want to be at the school gates with all the other parents. I want to take hold of my child in his new schoolbag and uniform and sob my eyes out because my baby has grown up so fast. I want to be excited to cuddle him and learn all about his first day at school. But that’s not going to be the case for many of us.”
Nicole Ring-Hosford, a hairdresser from Cork, said parents were being made to fight for their children’s rights.
She said her daughter, Libbymae (4), needs a special school, but her applications had been rejected by six special schools so far.
“I’ve had to fight for early intervention and now fight for her to get to school so she can learn,” she said. “If our children do not go to school, they regress. They go back to being babes and all that hard work at home as carers is lost.”
Minister for Education Helen McEntee said her department was aware of the demonstration taking place due to the “understandable concern of parents in relation to school places”.
“I am determined that every child be supported to achieve their full potential within our education system and I want to reassure parents that we are doing everything possible to ensure there are enough places to meet their children’s needs,” she said.
She said 218 new special classes were sanctioned by the National Council for Special Education across the country and more will follow “imminently”.
Ms McEntee said she was committed to opening additional special classes and special schools, increasing the number of special needs assistants and teachers and expanding the resources available to such schools.
In addition, she pledged to introduce a common application system for children applying for special education places, which has the potential to be a “game changer” for parents who need information about their child’s place as early as possible in the year.
