'Chaotic' schools admission process for children with special educational needs 'cannot be repeated'

Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly in a debate on the education of children with special needs, she said: “All children need to be happy, learning and succeeding in their educational journey.

"To achieve this objective children and young people with special needs will require the right support, with the right people, at the right time and in the right place. The Department needs to be measuring this and taking remedial action where necessary."

She added: "Last year parents and children with special educational needs experienced real difficulties in obtaining appropriate places at every level of the school journey. Additional classrooms were created in a panic situation and children were not told where they were going to school until very many weeks after their peers.

"In all 100 new classrooms were created and some children did not get to attend school until January 2024 after renovations were completed in the new facilities. This cannot continue and children regardless of their ability should know where they are going to school in their transition year.

"We also need to recognise that our teachers and support staff should be valued and that they deserve to be paid fairly. I know that the Minister is working on this and I hope that he will receive the resources to bring this to a conclusion.

"We also need to make sure that all of our children have the right interventions to help them to succeed. This will require working alongside the health service in order to ensure that interventions such as speech and language therapy area available.

"I have visited many schools and so many report that despite growing numbers of children who need speech and language intervention there are no more slots available. Children need early intervention in order to achieve better outcomes. Late or sporadic interventions will be harmful for our children and young people.”