Sinn Féin spokesperson on Education, Sorca Clarke TD, has called on the government to urgently review changes to the allocation of the Special Education Teaching (SET) hours.
 
Speaking today, Teachta Clarke said:
 
“These changes have come as a complete shock to us all. There is no doubt that these changes will adversely affect children with additional needs. The decision to explicitly remove the criteria of ‘complex needs’ and instead focus on the performance of standardised testing in numeracy and literacy is completely nonsensical. It will penalise children that require extra supports the most. That is totally unacceptable.
 
“A recent poll conducted by the National Principals’ Forum, found that 76.4% of primary school principals believe that the SET allocations for 2024-2025 are insufficient and do not meet the needs of children with additional needs. Furthermore, they have deemed the allocation for the upcoming academic year to be entirely inadequate.
 
“Despite evidence of continuous rising numbers of children with additional needs in classrooms, 37% of principals have reported a decrease in their allocation.
 
“This decision is a huge step backwards as it strays further away from the overall goal of creating an inclusive education system for all pupils and learners. Parents and pupils have once again been badly let down by the education system. They deserve to have reliable supports in place that will allow them to flourish and reach their full potential. Parents should not have to fight to ensure their children’s basic needs are met. This decision has created considerable stress and uncertainty for parents and teachers.
 
“Removing this criterion fails to take pupils’ individual situations and needs into consideration. It runs the risk of excluding children who are, for example, experiencing homelessness, children who may be affected by mental health and substances issues in the household, children that are in care or residential settings, or children whose first language may not be English, along with children with autism, dyslexia, hearing impairments, the list goes on.
 
“This decision must be reviewed immediately. No child should be left behind. All families should be certain that their child will have the appropriate support, at an early stage, to reach their full educational potential.
 
“I will work with the Department on this issue to ensure families’ concerns are resolved without delay and that their children get the supports they need to thrive.”