Feb 22, 2025, Sunday World: Family of girls with special needs consider legal action after refusals from 17 different schools
A Dublin family has spoken out about how they are struggling to find a school place for their special needs five-year-old who is due to start classes in September.
The Lowry family from Finglas in Dublin have had applications for special classes for Lucy at 17 schools refused so far.
Another eight are being processed while two more applications are to be submitted.
The family who had battled to find an appropriate school place for their daughter, Amelia (10) a number of years ago, are now facing a new challenge for Lucy.
They managed to secure a place in an autism class at St Brigid’s in Finglas for Amelia but despite hopes that the “sibling rule” would secure Lucy a place alongside her sister, changes to the school’s enrolment policy resulted in her being refused a place.
As a Special Needs Assistant, Rachel Lowry says she has seen at first-hand how children with additional needs are continuously let down.
“We fought so hard for Amelia, and we hoped that once she was settled, things might finally change,” she said.
“But Lucy’s journey through three different educational settings in just five short years proves that nothing has improved.
“Children need stability and certainty, but in Ireland this stability is being denied,” she added. “As SNAs and teachers we do all we can to support children but at every turn we face barriers, we are denied supports and essential resources.
“All children should have a right to appropriate education in their own community with timely access to all the supports and services they need.” . . .
“There are three schools and five autism classes within 300m of home but we can’t get our daughter into any of them,” Aaron said.
“Parents in other parts of the country are going through similar struggles. In country as wealthy as Ireland this is a political choice, it doesn’t have to be this way.
“Government parties are wilfully neglecting the most vulnerable children in the country.”
The Lowry parents claimed critical supports have also been delayed for both daughters.
They say that Lucy’s Assessment of Needs (AON) report was issued in September 2022 after the family were forced to cut private speech and language therapy for Amelia that they had paid for because the HSE CDNT (children's disability network team) “could not deliver what Lucy needed”.
“Lucy will now need an updated AON,” the Lowrys say.
The family is centrally involved in the Dublin NW Equality in Education Campaign which staged several protests for school places, supports and services for children with additional needs.
DNW Equality in Education co-founder and People Before Profit Councillor for Ballymun-Finglas Conor Reddy, said four families in Dublin North West had been in contact, “terrified that they will not be able to secure school places for their children this September.”
“It was summer last year before I had this volume of cases coming to me,” he said.
“Children with Additional Educational Needs are once again being left behind, with no sign of change on the horizon.
“We will be escalating our fight for equality in education in the coming weeks, working with families and groups from other areas to highlight government failures in education, health and service provision.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Education told the Sunday World: "Selection criteria and admissions are a matter for each board of manage to determine".
The Department said that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through Budget 2024 will create up to 2,700 additional places for children with complex needs, adding that the NCSE expects to confirm places to parents shortly.
"Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. Over the last number of years, the department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places. These initiatives are bearing fruit with almost 1,700 new special classes sanctioned and 11 special schools established over the last 5 years. A further five new special schools will open for the coming school year."
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