30/06/2025
EA Special Needs Crisis "Cannot Continue" – SDLP
The ongoing crisis within the Education Authority (EA) regarding school placements for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) cannot be allowed to continue, according to SDLP Opposition Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA.
Her comments follow confirmation from the EA that approximately 164 children with SEN currently do not have a school place for the upcoming academic year.
Among the options being considered by the EA is the contentious proposal to instruct schools to take on additional SEN pupils to bridge this gap.
East Derry MLA Ms Hunter expressed deep concern for the affected families. "My heart goes out to these children and their parents who are wondering what school their child will be attending next year and if it will be able to meet their needs. I regularly work to support parents of SEN children and this is yet another example of how these children are let down by government here and how families have to fight every inch for the support they need."
Ms Hunter also raised significant concerns about the proposal to compel schools to accept these pupils. "I am concerned at the proposal to instruct schools to take on SEN pupils to bridge this gap. While many young people with SEN benefit from a mainstream education, others have complex needs that can only be met in a dedicated setting. This also fails to recognise the pressure that many of our schools and staff are currently under and it would be wrong to send a child to a school that cannot provide the right environment for them."
The SDLP spokesperson criticised the recurring nature of the problem. "The EA have said this is a crisis, but the truth is the EA is in perpetual crisis and we find ourselves in this same situation every year with new promises made that lessons will be learned and next year will be different. This happened last year, it happened the year before that and it will happen next year without fundamental change."
Ms Hunter concluded by questioning the effectiveness of recent ministerial efforts: "The Education Minister promised to get to grips with the issues at the EA and made a number of high-profile appointments to the organisation. On this evidence little has changed."
Her comments follow confirmation from the EA that approximately 164 children with SEN currently do not have a school place for the upcoming academic year.
Among the options being considered by the EA is the contentious proposal to instruct schools to take on additional SEN pupils to bridge this gap.
East Derry MLA Ms Hunter expressed deep concern for the affected families. "My heart goes out to these children and their parents who are wondering what school their child will be attending next year and if it will be able to meet their needs. I regularly work to support parents of SEN children and this is yet another example of how these children are let down by government here and how families have to fight every inch for the support they need."
The SDLP spokesperson criticised the recurring nature of the problem. "The EA have said this is a crisis, but the truth is the EA is in perpetual crisis and we find ourselves in this same situation every year with new promises made that lessons will be learned and next year will be different. This happened last year, it happened the year before that and it will happen next year without fundamental change."
Ms Hunter concluded by questioning the effectiveness of recent ministerial efforts: "The Education Minister promised to get to grips with the issues at the EA and made a number of high-profile appointments to the organisation. On this evidence little has changed."
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