View Irish language version of this page JOIN US DONATE


"Urgent Action for Children With Special Needs Awaiting Support or Assessment" - Brolly

Aontú Education Spokesperson Gemma Brolly welcomes the recent Special Needs Provision announcement by the Education Minister but urges similar and urgent action for children with special needs awaiting support and/or assessment.

Gemma Brolly, a parent, teacher and Special Needs Co-ordinator herself welcomed the move by Michelle McIlveen, explaining "This is a huge and hopeful step in the right direction. Improving the provision within mainstream education for children with a statement of special educational needs is vital and we look forward to seeing this implemented within our schools."

Brolly siad "Working within this system and experiencing it first hand, this will only address those few within schools who have been assessed and therefore have a statement. At present, we have huge numbers of children struggling within our classrooms, many of these children will not even reach assessment stage as they are placed in a hierarchy of who has the most prevalent/urgent/number of needs and will meet the approximate 1 in every 100 children ratio to be assessed by the school educational psychologist." 

"We have children with literacy difficulties who cannot access intervention and so schools are implementing all they can with limited resources and accessing 'advice and guidance' from the Literacy Support Service. We have a complete absence of Dyslexia Specialist Provision and if our children have significant difficulties in Mathematics,school staff will strive to do what they can with NO Mathematic support service available through our Education system."

"Recently I have spoken with some of the fantastic RISE team in whom schools depend for early intervention, and they too have stretched beyond their maximum, as are Literacy Support Teachers and Education Psychologists. Each and every branch within our education system is reporting the same issues- the supply of human resources does not meet demand, in fact it is nowhere near it."

Brolly concludes "Whilst we realise long term investment and commitment is what is necessary to rebuild our education system, the most practical and urgent solution now is to increase supply of staff where possible, therefore improving the pupil to educational staff member ratio and improving the standard of education across the board. For some time now Aontú have worked to implement permanent learning support for pupils, similar to that in the South. We will continue to work to improve our education system, to create a system where NO child is left behind."

 

CRÍOCH

 

By Aontú Press | 4 July, 2022



Related Posts


Membership Application


CONTACT DETAILS

First Name
Last Name
Email
Country Phone Code
Mobile
Landline
Sex
Date of Birth
Irish Speaker / Gaeilgeoir


ADDRESS

Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Eircode / Postcode
County
Country


COMMUNICATION
I accept communications by

Call
Email
Post
SMS


OTHER TERMS

I accept the Privacy Policy
I accept the Terms and Conditions


Student / Unwaged / Retired (Reduced rate): The membership fee is €/£20. Please tick this box ONLY if you wish to avail of the discounted rate for students and the unwaged.



I wish to apply for membership in Aontú

The Irish political system is radically broken



In Ireland the vast majority of elected representatives put a finger in the air to check which way the political wind is blowing. They have one eye on their leaders – seeking brownie points – and another eye keeping their seat safe. If elected reps shut up and do as they’re told, they are promoted; if they stand up for what they believe in, they are demoted. No wonder we have the political class we have. No wonder one point one billion euro is being buried in a hole under the National Children’s Hospital and that Stormont is in stalemate.



Throughout Ireland, many people are now afraid to say what they feel, many are afraid to respectfully engage on a range of different topics. Many feel there is a new censorship and a new political correctness in Ireland, that opposition to the establishment is being deleted.



Respectful opposition is not the enemy. Respectful opposition is a critical element of a functional democracy. Aontú will have the backbone to stand up, without fear, for you.




JOIN US