NABMSE - A Manifesto for Special Education in 2025
Empowering Inclusion, Ensuring Access, and Elevating Support for All Students
As we approach 2025, it is crucial that our education system recognises and prioritises the diverse needs of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN). The National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education (NABMSE) presents this manifesto to outline the urgent actions required to create an inclusive, equitable, and supportive environment for all students with SEN in Ireland. We call for the government, Department of Education and stakeholders to take immediate and decisive action on the following areas:
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1. Accommodation for Special Schools and Classes
Urgent Upgrade of Facilities
- The current state of special class accommodations is inadequate. Schools urgently need upgrades or new facilities to appropriately accommodate students with SEN. Before enrolment, these spaces must be fully prepared to ensure a smooth start for students and staff.
- Access to grants, equipment, and technology must be efficient and timely. A dedicated link on the Department of Education (DE) website, providing a comprehensive range of application forms, is essential.
- NABMSE calls for immediate collaboration with Boards of Management (BOM) to either upgrade existing facilities or establish new, purpose-built accommodations that cater specifically to the needs of SEN students.
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2. Addressing the Lack of Spaces in Local Special Classes
Expanding Capacity in Mainstream Schools
- The current provision of one or two special classes per mainstream school is wholly insufficient, leading to repeated local enrolment issues year after year.
- To ensure continuity and inclusion, we propose creating a parallel special class for each year group at both primary and post-primary levels. This would allow students to "age up" with their peers and create more spaces for younger students within their local communities.
- NABMSE calls for an urgent mandate requiring all BOMs to establish parallel special classes to accommodate local children, fostering inclusion within their communities.
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3. School Supports: Preparing and Sustaining Success
Intensive Preparation and Ongoing Support
- Schools need significant preparation and training to build the confidence and competence of staff before opening special classes. Comprehensive planning is crucial to the success of the special classes.
- Once classes are established, ongoing support is vital to ensure that each child feels safe, supported, and able to achieve their full potential.
- NABMSE calls for the creation of fully staffed School Support Teams dedicated to planning, supporting, and reviewing special classes, ensuring schools and BOMs have access to expert guidance at every stage.
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4. Student Therapy and Mental Health Supports
Equitable Access to Critical Services
- Students in special schools and classes have a right to critical mental health and therapy supports. Currently, these services are not available to them.
- It is unacceptable to expect teachers to shoulder therapy responsibilities, which dilutes their ability to focus on teaching and learning.
- NABMSE calls for a new NCSE employed therapy service, designed to wrap around and support schools, ensuring students have access to essential face-to-face therapy and mental health supports.
5. Equitable Supports for Parents
Special schools in DEIS areas cannot currently access DEIS supports
- Many parents/guardians of children with SEN need help to navigate the myriad of meetings, applications and organisations they have to deal with in their efforts to access the supports their children need. This is more challenging when parents themselves may be struggling or may not be familiar with the systems they must navigate.
- NABMSE calls for the urgent provision of respite and mental health supports for parents of children with SEN.
- NABMSE calls for the immediate equitable provision of a Parent/School Support role for special schools.
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6. School Budgets: Addressing Financial Strain
Increased Capitation Grants
- Many school BOMs, particularly special schools, face severe financial pressures as they try to stretch capitation grants to cover inflated costs for heating, insurance, and specialised equipment.
- Special schools also bear significant expenses for annual staff training and the maintenance of specialised equipment.
- NABMSE calls for an immediate index linked increase in capitation grants to reflect the true costs of running a school today, with an emphasis on sustainable, long-term funding.
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7. Training Our Teachers: A New Approach
Reforming Teacher Training Programmes
- SEN students are the norm in every classroom, yet most teachers lack the training to support this diversity effectively. Teacher training programmes must centre SEN education to prepare teachers for the realities of modern classrooms.
- By embedding SEN training as a core component of teacher education, we can equip future teachers with the skills and confidence needed to support all students.
- NABMSE calls for a complete overhaul of teacher training programmes to prioritise SEN training as essential to all teaching and learning.
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8. SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) Role
Addressing the Growing Administrative Burden
- The role of the SENCO in schools has become increasingly complex, with SENCOs sacrificing valuable Student Education Time (SET) to handle growing administrative tasks.
- NABMSE calls for the establishment of ex-quota SENCO posts in every school to acknowledge this administrative burden and protect critical student support time.
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9. Fair Remuneration for Special School Principals
Recognising the Scope of Their Leadership
- In special schools, principals are not only responsible for teaching staff but also manage large teams of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and Bus Escorts, without any additional compensation.
- This added management burden is currently unrecognised, despite the extensive coordination required to ensure the effective functioning of these large teams of staff.
- NABMSE calls for appropriate remuneration for special school principals that reflects their full range of responsibilities, based on the total number of staff managed.
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Conclusion: A Call for Immediate Action
Our vision for 2025 is one where every child, regardless of their needs, has access to an education that is truly inclusive, equitable, and supportive. The time for action is now. NABMSE stands ready to collaborate with the Department of Education, management bodies, support organisations and stakeholders to make this vision a reality.
Together, let’s build an education system that leaves no child behind.