6.2.4 Learner placement

6.2.4 Learner placement

The placement of learners in special classes for children and young people with autism requires regular review; the allocation of highly skilled and experienced teachers to these classes should be prioritised by schools

As noted earlier, the number of special classes for children and young people with autism has risen rapidly over recent years. As increasing numbers of pupils transfer from special classes in primary schools to post-primary school, there has been considerable growth in the demand to open new post-primary special classes. In early 2019, the Inspectorate conducted a series of SEN evaluations in mainstream primary schools and post-primary schools that had special classes for learners with autism. The evaluations were carried out at the request of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to provide current, school-based information to support the policy advice function of the NCSE. Inspectors used the SEN evaluation model to collect evidence from sixty-five special classes in primary schools and twenty special classes in post-primary schools. The findings of these evaluations of special classes for learners with autism were published in a composite report in May 2020.102 The relatively recent development of special classes at second level must be understood as a contextual factor when comparing practices between the primary and post-primary sectors.

102 Department of Education (2020) Education Provision for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Special Classes Attached to Mainstream Schools in Ireland. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c466e-education-provision-for-learners-withautism-spectrum-disorder-in-special-classes-attached-to-mainstream-schools-in-ireland/

The findings indicated that, in some schools and more particularly at post-primary level, restrictive clauses in enrolment policies resulted in some pupils/students with less complex needs being enrolled in special classes when they were capable of greater integration within mainstream classes. As a result, these learners spent most of their time integrated with their peers on a partial basis, but did not achieve full mainstream enrolment. Meanwhile, other pupils/students with more complex autism needs and co-occurring learning needs103 encountered difficulties enrolling in the special classes within these schools. Moreover, some of the parents of these children and young people were, reportedly, directed towards hometuition or special schools. It is important, therefore, that there is clarity in relation to enrolment policies for special classes to ensure that the allocation of places in special classes is consistent, and that the allocation of children with complex needs to these classes is prioritised. In turn, this will help to avoid an unnecessary demand for places in special schools.

Arising from these findings, inspectors advised that enrolment policies for classes for pupils/students with autism should prioritise places for those with complex needs, and that pupils/students with less complex needs be included in mainstream classes with appropriate support. In addition, inspectors advised that all learners’ placements in special classes should be reviewed formally on an annual basis and that school leaders should allocate appropriately skilled and experienced teachers to the special classes.

The current system of special classes for children and young people with autism appears to be having limited success in the promotion of their full inclusion

The Inspectorate report on education provision in special classes104 for children and young people with autism suggests that, in the context of Ireland’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), and the possible implications of Section 24 (Part 2) in particular, policy makers should examine whether the current configuration of special classes is the most effective model to include all children and young people fully in school life. Specifically, if full inclusion or enrolment into mainstream classes is to be viewed as the ultimate aim, the current system of special classes appears to be having limited success for many learners who enrol in a special class. While the system of establishing special classes is intended to support learners with different needs on a journey towards full inclusion, there is a risk that these children and young people will be seen as being separate from their mainstream peers, and that partial inclusion may be perceived incorrectly as a successful outcome for the learner. Our education system must strive to achieve full inclusion for all.

There are also increasing demands being made for the establishment of new special classes for learners with autism as distinct from other types of special classes. This, together with the reported reluctance of some school authorities to open these special classes, means that there is a strong risk that segregated educational provision will be expanded unintentionally.

103 Such learning needs may relate to sensory issues, communication needs, self-regulation difficulties and a requirement for structure and predictability in the learning environment. 104 Department of Education (2020) Education Provision for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Special Classes Attached to Mainstream Schools in Ireland. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c466e-education-provision-for-learners-withautism-spectrum-disorder-in-special-classes-attached-to-mainstream-schools-in-ireland/