Reduced timetables should only be used on an exceptional basis to limit the time a child spends in the classroom. However, there is growing evidence to show some schools have been using them as a routine form of sanction or a tool to manage children’s behaviour.
Campaigners say many vulnerable students – such as those with special needs or Traveller children – are regularly placed on timetables as short as one hour a day in order to manage their behaviour. Research by academics at Technological University Dublin indicates that as many as one in four children with special needs has been placed on shortened school days. In many cases, the consent of parents was not sought in advance.
The long overdue publication of guidelines for schools by the Department of Education is a significant first step in addressing this issue. Schools are being advised that use of reduced timetables must be limited solely to circumstances where it is in a child’s best interests and on a temporary basis. Parental consent must be sought in advance. Schools must also set out a plan to re-integrate a child back into the classroom.
Tusla, the child and family agency, will be charged with recording and monitoring the use of reduced timetables. This means, for the first time, there will be reliable data on how widespread the practice is.
The publication of guidelines, however, will not be enough to tackle this issue on its own. Schools argue that they often do not have the resources to support the sometimes complex needs of vulnerable children. Training and support for schools will be vital to ensure they can respond appropriately to the needs of young people. Therapeutic interventions, where necessary, must also be provided if these issues are a barrier to learning.
On a more fundamental level, major changes are needed to ensure the rights of children with disabilities are protected.
The reality is many are invisible and excluded from education. Whether they are without a school place, on reduced timetables, have been unfairly suspended or expelled, or have simply fallen out of the system, there is often no data on them. In the absence of data there is no accountability. Too often, in the eyes of parents, the education system feels like it is built on a grace-and-favour approach, which does not meet either the spirit of our Constitution or our international obligations.
Any decision to restrict a young person’s access to schooling is hugely consequential. Access to education is a fundamental right. Any attempt to curb this right should only be allowed in the most exceptional of circumstances. With the right supports in place, there should be no reason that any child should have to lose out.