The education system is struggling to keep pace with the increase in demand for school places for children with special educational needs (SEN), Paul Givan has said.
The Education Minister told MLAs that the position in 2024 is “extremely challenging” with more than 1,000 additional SEN places in schools needing to be found in Northern Ireland by September.
Mr Givan was answering a question on his plans to ensure that all children with SEN and disabilities will have access to appropriate school places in the next academic year.
He told the Assembly that children with SEN follow a different process for school admission. He said there was a “continual flow of children” being referred for a SEN statement.
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Mr Givan added: “The demand for specialist education provision has increased significantly over the last number of years and the system has struggled to keep pace with the rising demand.
“In the last three academic years, the Education Authority (EA) has created 140 additional classes for special schools and 203 new specialist provision classes in mainstream schools, known as Spims.
“The position for this September is extremely challenging.
“Based on the Education Authority’s latest planning assumptions, more than 1,000 additional specialist education places are needed by September of this year.”
The minister said: “My immediate priority is to increase the capacity across the education system to ensure sufficient, appropriate places for children with SEN for September 2024.
“The EA is working in collaboration with stakeholders and schools where it knows there are acute pressures to create additional places in both special schools and through Spims.”
SDLP MLA Colin McGrath said: “We have heard in the response from the minister about early planning, about engagement, about new places and additional funds.
“This has all been done before and yet every year we face the same problems.
“Is the minister satisfied there is going to be something different done between now and September so that we won’t see the same outcome this year?”
Mr Givan said there needed to be greater collaboration with the Department of Health so that children with SEN were identified earlier in life.
He said: “The connection in terms of sharing that data between the Department of Health, Education Authority and then planning seems to be a challenge.
“That is something that needs to be addressed so that we get further upstream.”
