Marino special school review
Deputy Whitmore raised concern that an exceptional care review for Marino special school in Bray was cancelled and postponed despite urgent need for more SNA support. The Minister said he would speak to the Education Minister and special education Minister of State and seek a prompt update for the school.
I raise with the Minister the issue of a special school in Bray, County Wicklow. It is Marino special school, which caters for children with complex needs. It is critically overstretched when it comes to its SNA allocation. An exceptional care review was to be conducted on 18 June. That was cancelled on the evening of 16 June by the NCSE and the school was told that care review would happen in the next school year, which is no good to Marino. I was surprised that this is actually happening. Marino special school has never had a review of its care needs. Interestingly, in September 2024, the school made four urgent applications to the NCSE in relation to four students. It never heard back from the NCSE, and another ten similar applications are sitting on a desk, which were to be discussed at the review. Can the Minister please make sure that review happens now, so this school can be equipped with the care and support it needs for the students in the coming school year?
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy for raising that. I will speak to the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, who is responsible for special education needs. I am concerned to hear that Marino special school has not had that review yet. It needs to be given some certainty in terms of where we are now with the new year starting up. I will ask the Minister of State to come back to the Deputy.