Towards a Better Future

Chapter Seven: The School System: Equality, Inclusion and Rights
permanent or long-term conditions, including visual and hearing difficulties, or specific learning
difficulties. The stated aim is to remove, as far as possible, the impact of the disability on the candidate’s
performance and thus enable the candidate to demonstrate his or her level of attainment. It also
aims to ensure that, whilst giving candidates every opportunity to demonstrate their level of
attainment, the special arrangements will not give the candidate an unfair advantage over other
candidates in the same examination (State Examinations Commission, 2016). However, a number
of people have expressed dissatisfaction with the operation of the scheme, as evidenced by Dáil
questions, and concern has been expressed that the recommendations of an expert advisory group
have not been implemented (Irish Times, July 2, 2015).
The DES established the Special Education Support Service (SESS) in 2003, with the role of
enhancing the learning and teaching of pupils with SEN by means of professional development for
teachers. From 2017, the SESS will form part of the Inclusion Support Service within the NCSE,
along with the National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) and the Visiting Teacher Service for
children who are deaf or hard of hearing and for children who are blind/visually impaired (VTHVI)
– www.education.ie. In addition, there are now accredited postgraduate courses at Higher Diploma
and Masters levels in special education for serving teachers in many of the universities. In its criteria
for Initial Teacher Education (ITE), the Teaching Council has made inclusion, including special
education, a mandatory element for all courses seeking professional accreditation. This is a very
welcome initiative and formalises an element of the teacher education curriculum that was already
well embedded in teacher education programmes. Research commissioned by the NCSE into the
impact of teacher education for inclusion (as assessed by student teachers, NQTs and early stage
professionals) should provide valuable insights into teacher professional formation in this area.
These developments represent significant progress for a group of pupils who until the end of the
1990s were very seriously marginalised in education. However, even these very vulnerable pupils
have received cuts to their support services. As the Children Rights Alliance Report Card (2016)
points out, the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 is the key statute
governing the education of children with special needs. However, in 2008, due to budgetary
constraints the government deferred full implementation of this Act.
While acknowledging that very significant progress has been made by Irish policy-makers and schools
in educational provision and support for students with disabilities and special educational needs, research
has shown that there are still issues to be addressed. Research on Irish primary-age children shows that
school experiences and attitudes towards school vary among children with SEN according to the type
of need they have. At a descriptive level, the findings show that students with multiple disabilities -
typically learning and physical disability or learning disability and emotional behavioural disorders
(EBD) - are much more likely to dislike school compared to other students in the SEN group (such
as those with physical, visual, hearing and speech difficulties) (McCoy and Banks, 2012).
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