Laois Principal says accommodation refused by Department despite crisis in special needs places

A Portlaoise school principal has said he was refused extra classroom space despite a crisis in special needs school places in Laois. 

Principal of Saint Francis School in Portlaoise, John Moran, said efforts by both principals and teachers, who he said are trying their hardest to accommodate pupils, are not being respected.

Referencing a letter he received from the Department of Education in response to his accommodating eight additional pupils with special needs last year, Mr Moran said the Department instructed him that this should never happen again.

“The Department of Education would never use that tone with any mainstream school. It is acting in a discriminatory manner,” Mr Moran said. 

“We put in an application for two additional classrooms while our new building is being built but, in the meantime, we need more accommodation. We received a letter from the Department of Education refusing our application for those additional classrooms,” Mr Moran explained.  

He said “we are currently working with 19 classes, though we are just meant to have 12. However, instead of giving us more room, they want us to reduce three classes. We currently have a waiting list of 45 so it doesn’t add up at all. We need the decision to refuse our application reviewed urgently and we need the new building fast tracked as we simply cannot wait until 2027. Our population has increased hugely since 2021 and using this year as a benchmark is completely unrealistic.”

Aontú’s Laois Candidate and teacher Mary Hand says her party leader Deputy Peadar Tóibín has written to the Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister Hildegarde Naughton for immediate clarification, however at time of going to press no response has been issued.

“This is an incredibly serious matter. Schools throughout Co. Laois are oversubscribed as it is with lengthy waiting lists so any reduction in funding would be hugely problematic,” said Ms Hand. 

“We want immediate clarification from the Ministers involved  as to why they are pulling this accommodation as the stress and worry this uncertainty is causing parents and teachers is dreadful.

Parents are desperately worried and are anxious to get an update and a response to all of the questions we have raised.”

Ms Hand said  “this sadly may not be an isolated incident for Laois and we want to know if there are any other special education units or schools in other counties which have had funding paused or withdrawn and if so, we want to know the reasoning for this.” 

Principal of Heywood Community School, Eamon Jackman, said “we have a long waiting list for students to our special classes for students with Autism and are certainly oversubscribed. We held individual meetings with all applicant families last week and they are incredibly concerned.”

He said “our wish would be to give all our applicants access to our special classes next September, but we are unable to. These students need the specialised care and attention of a special class as recommended by their educational assessment reports. It does appear that Laois is one of many pinch points for accessing Special Classes in Post Primary and coherent plan is necessary for the next decade to allow families who currently have students in Primary Special classes the certainty of knowing if [or] where their child will attend secondary school.”

Laois parent Debbie Byrne came to national prominence some years ago when she chained herself to the Dept of Educations office railings in Athlone to highlight the chronic shortage of school places for children with special needs.  She said she is worried sick over where her 12  year-old child Aaron will continue his education.

“The situation is crazy. Aaron has done so well but now we have no idea what school he will go to. He is very anxious. It is an utter shambles and disgrace and the Minister for Education, and the Government have a lot to answer for. We are left on our own, my family has had to spend thousands upon thousands on reports for Aaron.” she said.