New funding for Special Educational Needs is sending mixed messages, according to a leading Northern Ireland educationalist.
Avril Hall Callaghan, General Secretary of the locally-based Ulster Teachers’ Union, welcomed SEN support scholarships for school support staff in England but warned that it would not suit the NI model.
“The SEN sector here is in the midst of a major re-organisation and it is crucial that the correct decisions are made which will protect our most vulnerable children,” she said.
“Whilst any investment in the system must be welcomed I would be dubious should a similar programme of funding be used here. Any extra support for SEN must be that – extra. It should not be at the expense of support for our teachers. My fear is that such so-called investment is tantamount to teaching on the cheap and I would be wary of any inclination towards that path in Northern Ireland.
“A teacher is best placed to give the lead support to a child with special educational needs. They have been trained to identify a child’s needs in the first place and ensure appropriate support is put in place.
“It is the teachers who are accountable for the child’s performance and while any extra resources to support them are to be welcomed we would want to be re-assured that their role is in no way being diluted or undermined.
“If money is freed-up for the sector surely it would be better spent in reducing class size. This extra funding for support staff in English schools has come about as the result of a green paper which identified that special needs children can often get left behind in a mainstream class.
“A smaller class size would go some way towards alleviating this situation and would benefit all the children in the class – not just those with special needs. It would reduce pressure on teachers and lead to a better performance for all children in the class.”