Letters

Summer provision and children with special needs

The summer is a long time without routine, structure and stimulation

Letters to the Editor. Illustration: Paul Scott

The Irish Times - Letters to the Editor.

Sat May 4 2024 - 00:08

Sir, – It’s that time of year again where exhausted parents of children with additional needs wait with bated breath to see if their child will be lucky enough to get July provision.

My son attends a fabulous special school with lovely caring staff. But every year summer provision is an issue. It can only go ahead if enough familiar staff will volunteer their time. They don’t all want to for various personal reasons. There are other ways around this but the Department of Education need to make it worthwhile for the teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) who can and want to do it. It needs to be paid well, organised and resourced properly. Also we need to use more teachers and SNAs from outside the school.

This year our school wished to offer one week to eight classes but the Department of Education said they must do two weeks, so this unfortunately means they will do two weeks for four classes.

There are 16 classes in our school so four will get two weeks of summer provision and 12 classes will get nothing, including my own son.

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The summer is a long time without routine, structure and stimulation. It’s hard for children with additional needs and hard for their siblings and parents, especially with so little tangible support. Many kids like mine require 24-hour care and the days and nights are long.

Home provision is not suitable for many, including my son, as he needs a nurse and a familiar teacher or SNA who is qualified to do it. The bus, school friends and familiar environment are so important to my son and many others. School-based summer provision is preferable for most children but of course home provision is still a vital option for others. Not one size fits all.

Unless it’s part of the school year this is unfortunately the way it will be, it has been getting worse and worse every year. There is no incentive for staff to do it and no creative thinking to ensure it happens. It should be for the entire month of July in my opinion.

The children who need it most are forgotten. Again.

I’m so sorry for everyone who will miss out this year. It’s not okay, it’s totally unacceptable. For four classes out of 16 to be offered two weeks of summer provision in our school alone and nothing to the other 12 classes is actually unconscionable.

I hope our new Taoiseach Simon Harris and new Minister of State for Special Education Hildegarde Naughton are going to change things for the better for children with special educational needs. It’s high time! – Yours, etc,

AISLING McNIFFE,

Straffan,

Co Kildare.

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