'Catch-all' special schools will leave some children with nowhere to go
The creation of “catch-all” special schools would leave some children with “nowhere to go” and take away the one place they feel “supported, understood and safe”, an oireachtas committee has heard.
The education committee invited in principals of special schools on Thursday, who say they face pressure from the Department of Education to change their schools’ designation to include children with “complex needs”.
They say this would mean children in their schools with mild general learning disabilities would be phased out and end up in inappropriate mainstream classes.
While they said children with complex needs deserve the support they need, this shouldn’t be done in a “robbing Peter to pay Paul” situation at the expense of other children who need supports.
Published in The Irish Examiner, 10th July 2025