The National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education (NABMSE) has expressed “upset and disappointment” at the findings of the AsIAm and Inclusion Ireland survey which reported that up to 35% of disabled schoolchildren have experienced seclusion, while 27% have been restrained in a school setting.
NABMSE General Secretary Eileen O’Rourke has said that the 300 schools they support are dedicated to the provision of high quality education in caring, compassionate and supportive school environments. Amongst the NABMSE supported schools nationwide are 125 special schools and 145 mainstream primary schools.
Inclusion Ireland, which represents children with intellectual disabilities and AsIAm, an autism charity, polled more than 400 parents online, and their report was published last week. The report quoted a number of parents who spoke of alleged mistreatment of their children in school settings.
“We are very upset and disappointed that this has been the experience of some children,” Eileen O’Rourke said.
“Clearly these cases must be investigated and prompt action taken to support the schools and parents in ensuring the wellbeing and safety of these vulnerable children,” Ms O’Rourke stressed.
‘It is important too, to acknowledge and celebrate all the examples of superb practice experienced everyday by the children in our schools.
“I visit our schools regularly and see first hand the warmth, laughter and wonderful creativity in the schools,” the NAMBSE General Secretary added, while acknowledging that the sector does face challenges.
“Yes, this can be very stressful and difficult work and the appropriate supports can sometimes be challenging to access quickly.
“However our member schools and their staff are fully committed to the wellbeing and educational progress of the children in their schools, and many of them pay annual fees of up to €6,000 in order to train staff on how best to plan for and respond to distressed behaviour they may face.
“With this in mind our member schools are very much looking forward to the Challenging Behaviour Guidelines and accompanying training programme currently being prepared by the Department of Education and NABMSE will continue to work with all the relevant bodies to access the supports needed by our schools.”