(Ireland) Monaghan: Not enough secondary places for SPED children
- 2 days ago
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Feb 13, 2026, Northern Sound: 'No places for Monaghan's little children with special needs'
Olivia Larkin says the situation is "beyond unacceptable at this stage."
A Monaghan Mother has spoken of her, and other families, huge distress on learning that their children with special needs do not have any post primary school places for September.
Aontú representative Olivia Larkin, who is part of 'Special Needs Active Parents' also known as SNAP, an advocacy group established to campaign for adequate special needs services says
"Children with special needs in Monaghan are trying to get into post primary schools but just there are just seven places available".
10 children are without places in Our Lady's in Castleblayney and 2 in St, McCartan's College in Monaghan.
According to Olivia, Monaghan's children with special needs are being let down badly by the Department of Education as families continue to be left in limbo about where their children will go to school in September.
Speaking to Northern Sound, the local mother and Aontú rep says the SNAP campaign are now asking the Minister of State at the Dept of Education if his department will commit to an audit of the actual figures of children currently waiting for a placement in each county per year.
She said it is imperative that these figures are know to get the true grasp of how many children are currently waiting.
Ms Larkin told Northern Sound: "We have more and more evidence that children with special needs are being treated as an afterthought by the Department which really is shocking and so disheartening and frustrating.
Several families of 6th class pupils still have no answers from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) or the Dept of Education as to whether there are places available in their local secondary schools in Monaghan.
These children are starting their transition programmes from primary school to secondary next month (March) but neither the schools themselves, nor the parents know whether the NSCE will allocate new classrooms to accommodate the children. There is no information, even on a timeline on a decision by the NSCE, so parents are just left hanging.
"St. McCartan’s received correspondence from NCSE to open a 3rd AS 9 Additional Services, However, they have not received any update or sanction on this proposed class. This leaves the school with no special class places available at present and absolutely no certainty on facilities or staffing ahead of the new school year.
"Some of the schools are awaiting a decision on extension applications or even notification if they will be allocated a prefab or temporary modular building to accommodate the children. This is causing untold stress to the parents affected and God knows they are no strangers to stress."
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