Sinn Féin MLA Danny Baker has called on the education minister to prioritise children with special educational needs (SEN) for school placements.
The party’s children and young people spokesperson said:
“Children with SEN deserve our full support, and in recent years families have faced an anxious wait for a school placement right up to the start of term, and in the worst cases beyond this.
“The current approach is clearly not working for families, and that’s why I am calling on the education minister to explore an ‘SEN first’ strategy.
“This would mean children with SEN form part of a school’s planned enrolment numbers and would ensure they are prioritised.
“By doing this we could provide assurance for parents, clarity for schools and would ensure the proper support required for children with SEN is in place from the beginning of term.”
