NI education: Special needs pupils face delayed school start

In her statement, Ms Cubitt urged the education and health ministers “not to look away from the ongoing crisis facing autistic children and young people in Northern Ireland”.

Asked by BBC News NI why she was particularly critical of what she called the education minister’s “misplaced and out of touch priorities”, Ms Cubitt said parents of children unable to start school felt “ignored”.

“They ring the EA and there’s no answer on the phone, yet online there’s lots of photo-ops in schools where children are attending.

“There’s been several posts about attendance matters.

“I would say if that is true, why is the placement of children with SEN not the primary priority?”

A spokeswoman for the EA said it remains “firmly committed to meeting the individual needs children and young people with special educational needs”.

“There have been significant efforts made by all colleagues across the education sector to provide additional appropriate places, reflective of pupils’ needs,” they continued.

The EA said it will continue to work with schools and families to minimise any impact for children and young people.

In a statement, the DoH said that the health minister “is aware of the significant pressures on services and has recently met with both the Children’s Law Centre and the family of a child with complex needs to discuss ongoing challenges”.

“The minister recognises the current situation is unsustainable and is determined to see urgent improvements in this area,” it added.