Kilbride NS community concerns at cut to Special Education Teacher hours

Parents and staff at Kilbride National School, Trim are angry at a proposed cut to their Special Education Teacher (SET) Allocation, amid claims the school is being punished for performing well in standardised assessments.

The SET allocation hours are being reduced to 47.5 hours from 52.5. In September 2021, Kilbride NS had an enrolment of 158 pupils and received an allocation of 52.5 hours based on this enrolment for the academic years 2022- 2024. The total number of pupils in the school on 30th September 2023 was 191.

Deputy Johnny Guirke has written to the Minister for Education expressing concerns over the impact the cuts will have on students and submitted a series of parliamentary questions to be raised in the Dáil at the earliest opportunity.

Cllr Noel French said the cut should be reversed. "It is an excellent school and I have been contacted by a lot of concerned parents, who are worried about the impact this will have on students."

One mother has commented that the cut appears to have resulted from the high standardised assessment results achieved by the school.

"It seems extremely unfair that my child’s school is being punished because of its success in raising education levels and meeting higher results, and this reduction in SET hours allocation risks the positive outcomes that the school has achieved in this area.

"This results have been achieved through great work and partnership between school and home and it would be unfair for the school, and our children, to be penalised because of this success."

She explained that the school enrolment at 191 is one pupil short of getting another mainstream class teacher for this coming September but the projected number for this coming September is 192 pupils.

"It is very concerning that a school with a growing enrolment has been subjected to a cut in hours."

"As a parent, I am deeply concerned of the impact this cut will have on our children and our local community, by increasing demand for Special Needs support outside of the school environment. I believe that our children will not be able to access a suitable, appropriate, and adequate education in our school as the school will find it very challenging to distribute the 47.5 hours fairly and adequately to ensure each child’s right to access the curriculum.

"I am concerned of the impact it will have on all children in the mainstream class setting as it is evident that the cut to hours will put extraordinary pressure on teachers to support all the children and inevitably the children will suffer."

She said the school community had been informed by the Principal that she had submitted an appeal to the National Council for Special Education in the hope that the allocation will be reversed. Deputy Guirke said the reduction to 47.5 hours would pose significant challenges for educators in distributing time effectively, potentially compromising the quality of education for all students, especially those with additional needs. He emphasized that the cut in hours will have a detrimental knock-on effect on students transitioning to secondary education, where it is easier to get lost in the system.

"These cuts will place undue stress on our teachers and risk the well-being and educational outcomes of the children who need additional support. The current decision must be revisited to ensure that the education system remains inclusive and equitable.