New moves by Department puts St Kilian’s in ‘unfair’ position

By Mary Dennehy

PUPILS in St Kilian’s JNS are at risk of losing a special education teaching post, an “unfair” move by the Department of Education and Skills which will “negatively impact” on the whole school.

Based in Kingswood, St Kilian’s JNS believes it has fallen victim to a new model of special needs teaching allocation introduced by the Department of Education and Skills, which calculates the components of a school’s complex needs based on one year only.

For the past five years, St Kilian’s has been allocated between 50 and 60 resource teaching hours per week, with the exception of 2016/2017 when two children with special needs moved onto the senior school.

This resulted in the allocated hours dropping to just over 30 for 2016/2017.

However, this September, three children with special teaching needs – who have not been included in the Department’s ‘calculations’, which are based only on 2016/2017 – will start Junior Infants at St Kilian’s.

There are also three children currently in the school who were assessed after October 2016 who, having special educational needs, are also not included in the Department’s calculations.

Speaking to The Echo, Kate Sweeney, the Principal of St Kilian’s, said: “I think the new way in which the Department is calculating its special teaching allocation is grossly misrepresentative and unfair.

“Because the complex needs element of the new allocation is based only on one year, rather than an aggregate figure over three to five years, we now stand to lose a teaching post.

“We’ll be losing around 30 hours per week which will seriously dilute the service that St Kilian’s provides to all of its pupils.”

She added: “No account has been taken in the new model of all the children with complex needs who have emerged in schools since October 2016, nor the new children due to arrive in junior infants in all schools in September 2017.

“Our predicted figures indicate that our complex need will re-emerge at 50 hours in September 2017, but we are only being allowed 30 hours.

“We’ll be up four children with special education needs, but down a teacher – and this allocation is due to stand for two years.”

For the past five years, St Kilian’s has been allocated four teachers to cater for children with additional learning support and resource teaching needs, alongside an additional teacher to cater for children whose first language is not English.

The special education teachers carry out in-class support alongside out-of-class group and individual work.

Ms Sweeney said: “This decision will negatively impact on everyone and will have a knock on effect for all children in the classroom . . . and a detrimental effect on our ability to provide for children with additional needs in our school.”

Expressing her upset, frustration and confusion over the workings of the new model, Ms Sweeney confirmed that she intends to appeal the decision and has encouraged members of the school community to highlight St Kilian’s case to their local councillors, TDs and the Minister for Education, Richard Bruton TD.

The Echo put a number of questions to the Department of Education but a comment was not received in time for print.