May 7, 2023, Bollyinside: (NI) New Term Brings Significant Shortage in Special Schools https://www.bollyinside.com/news/education/new-term-brings-significant-shortage-in-special-schools/?amp=1
There will be a shortage of places for pupils in special schools when the new school term begins in September, as highlighted by a letter sent by the Education Authority (EA) to school principals and governors. The EA committee has been told that more than 850 additional places are needed in special schools. The EA has asked heads of mainstream primary schools if they can open specialist learning support units to admit pupils with severe learning difficulties. However, Dr Graham Gault of the National Association of Head Teachers said the request was being made at “the last moment when the pertinent issues have been widely known for a long time”.
As highlighted by a recent report by the BBC News NI, there will be a “significant shortfall” in places for pupils in special schools when the new term starts in September. This news comes as an Education Authority (EA) committee has been told that there is a need for more than 850 additional places in special schools. …
However, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has criticized the request to schools, stating that it is being made at “the last moment when the pertinent issues have been widely known for a long time”. The NAHT’s Dr Graham Gault also highlighted that this move will not help ease the pressure on special school places in the short term and that the EA has been “put in an impossible situation by the decisions of the…”
The report also states that in the 2022-23 academic year, there were almost 7,000 pupils in Northern Ireland’s 39 special schools, and a further 3,200 were in specialist provision in mainstream schools. These are special classes or units that provide extra support to pupils with additional needs in primaries and post-primaries.
The EA’s letter to heads and governors states that there was a 15% rise in the number of children with a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) seeking a school place in 2023. To cope with those numbers, special schools also need an additional 76 classrooms by September 2023. However, the committee heard that, at present, only 18 of those extra classrooms were confirmed for the start of the new school year. An additional 49 classes will be needed in mainstream schools.
The EA’s letter to heads and governors also states that mainstream primary schools are now being contacted to see if they could open specialist classes for SLD children for September. The primaries would receive support and “staff resourcing” and would be linked to a “neighbouring special school.” The letter also stated that “The introduction of SLD provision in mainstream schools will help to ensure that best use is made of existing res to provide educational placements for children with SEN across Northern Ireland.”
The situation has been described as “appalling” by the NAHT’s Dr Graham Gault, who has called for urgent action to address the shortfall in places for pupils in special schools. The EA has estimated that the cost of creating the necessary additional places will be over £80m, and it is not clear how this funding will be secured.
Considering all of the evidence, the shortage of places for pupils in special schools in Northern Ireland is a significant concern, and urgent action is needed to address this issue. The request to mainstream primary schools to open specialist learning support units is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to ensure that all pupils with additional needs can access the education they require. It is essential that the government and education authorities work together to find a solution to this pressing issue.
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