Anger as cuts hit special needs kids

Anger as cuts hit special needs kids

23 December 2015

PARENTS of children with severe learning difficulties have warned they are being deprived of vital nursery education.

Families have reacted with outrage to news that nursery provision at a new junior campus for Knockevin Special School in Dundrum will be significantly cut.

They are also devastated to hear the new £2.1m facility, which was scheduled to open after Christmas as a feeder school for Knockevin in Downpatrick, will not be complete until February.

Warning that their children, many of whom have autism, are being failed by the education system, they have said it is unjust that they have already missed out on months of schooling only to learn that their full school day, once it begins, will be almost cut in half.

Parents had expected their children to be allocated a traditional 4.5 hour slot per day at Knockevin’s nursery. After receiving a letter from the school indicating they will instead be invited to attend a 2.5 hour morning or afternoon session, they said they fear their three and four year-olds will never have the opportunity to recover lost time.

They believe their children are being denied crucial early years intervention and are concerned they have also been unable to avail of essential physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy during their five month wait for the new unit.

Gregory Coyle, whose son Oisin is due to attend the new nursery unit, said the delays and changes within Knockevin are affecting the most vulnerable children.

Gregory, who is himself a trained nursery school teacher, said he recognises the value of nursery provision and is very concerned four year-old Oisin has already missed a full term.

He said missing such an important window in his education could be detrimental to Oisin, who has global developmental delay and who had no mainstream alternative while awaiting Knockevin’s opening.

Instead of 22.5 hours per week, including professional therapy, he said Oisin has struggled with the three hour per week slot he has been provided with in the interim at the Downpatrick campus.

“It is unacceptable that these children have already missed five months of specialist nursery provision, which includes their vital
therapies,” he said.

“I know how important that first term is and I do not want Oisin to start another term where he is only offered three hours per week and is not able to avail of speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and learning social skills by mixing properly with his friends.

“In my opinion children like Oisin should be offered more than a year of nursery provision and should certainly not be forced into a situation where the first five months are lost and they must make up for lost time.

“We can work with him at home but we cannot compete with the facilities and expertise of Knockevin where he should be using the sensory room and accessing everything else he needs.”

Gregory’s wife Marie said news of a month-long delay with the opening may seem insignificant to some, but could in fact be hugely important to her son’s development.

“We are first time parents of a child with special needs and we trusted the professionals when they told us the unit would not be available until January,” she said.

“But this month-long delay is four valuable weeks and that could mean the difference of learning to talk for our son.

“What is really important is that these children have not been getting their therapies throughout this time. My real concern is that February turns into Easter and they lose the full opportunity of their nursery year.”

In a letter sent to parents associated with Knockevin Special School’s nursery unit last week, school principal Mrs Ann Cooper advised parents with concerns about the new nursery arrangements to contact the Education and Skills Authority.