Department of Education reflects its lack of understanding of special needs education by denying funding for sensory room to DEIS school
- Department denies sensory room to St. Finbarr’s NS in Cabra, one of the most socio-economically challenged schools in Dublin 7.
- School due to open two ASD classrooms in 2025/2026 but will not have a sensory room to support pupils.
- Penalised because it has a pre-school attached to the primary school which has a sensory room, reflecting the high level of additional need in the pre-school.
Marie Sherlock, TD for Dublin Central, has called on the Minister for Education to intervene and ensure that St. Finbarr’s National School in Dublin 7 gets a much needed sensory room which it has been denied. St Finbarr’s Boys National School in Cabra is one of the most socio-economically challenged schools in Dublin 7. It is due to open two additional ASD classrooms in 2025/2026. This school is being penalised by the Department of Education because the pre-school attached to it has a sensory room, which reflects the high level of additional needs in the pre-school.
Deputy Sherlock said:
“To see a primary school working to open two additional ASD classrooms, and yet be denied a sensory room by the Department to support those students with additional needs, is crazy. This poor decision by the Department to penalise a local DEIS school reflects the wider lack of resources for special needs education in Dublin Central.
“It is my understanding that the Department took this decision to deny the school this resource because the pre-school attached to the primary school has a sensory room. It should be obvious to the Department that it is not appropriate for pre-school and primary school children to be using the same sensory room.
“This school is one of the most socio-economically challenged schools in Dublin 7. It needs this sensory room to support local children with additional needs, especially as it prepares to open two ASD classrooms for the year 2025/2026. This flies in the face of commitments to support ASD and additional needs classroom provision.
“I have written directly to Minister Helen McEntee to appeal to her to change this policy and ensure that schools like St. Finbarr’s NS can provide the best support to children with additional needs in Dublin 7. I hope that the Department reverses this decision and that St. Finbarr’s NS receives a much needed sensory room.”