The Minister for Education has been widely criticised for failing to listen to the concerns of parents, teachers and charities when drawing up her Special Educational Needs (SEN) proposals. Yesterday the Northern Ireland Assembly passed a cross-party motion expressing concern at the lack of detail in the SEN proposals, confusion over the definition of ‘inclusion’, a failure to ring fence funding and the move away from the ‘statement’ process. Speaking during a debate on Special Educational Needs, the East Antrim MLA and DUP Education Committee member Alastair Ross said,
“I have received more emails, letters and phone calls about the Department of Education’s SEN proposals than on any other issue. There is considerable concern right across the community, from parents, teachers and charity groups, that the Minister’s proposals lack detail, dilute the legal rights of special needs children and put additional pressure on teachers who may not have adequate training in teaching children with special educational needs.
Parents are rightly concerned that the proposals will move away from the current statementing process and replace it with a teacher led assessment. Even children currently with a statement may lose that legal safeguard after review under the new proposals.
Whilst teachers may be able to identify a child with special needs, that alone is not enough to act in the best interests of the children. Many teachers fear that they will be under additional pressure and that they have not got the training required to be placed in that position.
Assessment must be done by experts, and children and parents must be confident that the security of a ‘statement’ is not removed. The Minister must also ensure that she tackles other issues in special education, such as underfunding and overcrowding, to ensure that all children can get the best possible start to life.”
