Oct 18, 2024, Rollercoaster: Leading politician slams education system after failing to get her son with autism a school place
Fianna Fáil Senator Catherine Ardagh had hoped her four-year-old son Darragh would start Junior Infants this year however she couldn’t get him a place in school.
Instead, the little boy is to spend another year in pre-school while his twin brother got a place in a local mainstream school.
In the Seanad on Thursday Senator Ardagh called on the Minister for Special Education Hildegarde Naughton to take action on her behalf and on behalf of other families facing similar issues.
She said ‘I feel compelled to address an issue many families including my own is grappling with – access to appropriate education for children with special needs.
‘The patron (of the school) has gone against a decision to convert his class into a school aged class and this has left Darragh and other children without a place in Junior Infants this year.
‘Darragh should have started Junior Infants along with his twin brother but instead he’s spending another year in early intervention. I urge the Minister for Special Education Hildegarde Naughton to address this as a matter of urgency.’
Senator Ardagh, whose son is non-verbal, said every year feels like a mammoth task to get supports for children with additional needs.
She told the Irish Mirror ‘Parents are really on their own when they are applying for schools’, explaining she did everything in her power to secure Darragh a place in school. . . .
Senator Ardagh is calling for a more streamlined approach to applications for special schools and autism units in the mainstream school system.
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