School places ‘scramble’ cannot be repeated, says union

A teaching union has written to the Education Authority (EA) and the education minister regarding the provision of school places for children with special education needs (SEN).

Dr Graham Gault, from National Association of Head Teachers Northern Ireland, demanded urgent talks to ensure the “last-minute scramble” for places was not repeated.

Last month, it was revealed that six SEN children in Northern Ireland had been left with no school place for September.

In response to the letter, EA said dealing with the issue remained an “absolute priority” which could only be achieved through “large-scale expansion of the number of mainstream schools offering specialist provision”.

In June, the EA wrote to principals informing them it was considering an unprecedented move to instruct some schools to admit SEN children.

Dr Gault said any suggestions from the authority and minister that schools were unwilling to accommodate SEN children was “profoundly insulting”.

“Every single principal and teacher works effectively with SEN children on a daily basis, consistently demonstrating unwavering commitment and professional excellence,” the letter states.

To suggest otherwise “fundamentally misrepresents” the education landscape and the dedication of workers, it added.

The letter says underfunding is a barrier to schools’ capacity to support children.

It adds that “attributing blame” to school leaders is “unwarranted” and it “misdirects attention from the true source of this crisis: sustained, systemic underfunding”.

The letter states that EA can make predictions when it comes to children requiring specialist provision in future years and should engage with school leaders immediately.

“NAHT formally appeals to the EA to establish mechanisms for constructive, collaborative and positive engagement with school leaders in areas of high need within the next two months,” it said.

“Our children deserve better than perpetual crisis; they deserve strategic planning, adequate resources and the dignity of advance preparation.”

Explaining the decision to issue the letter, Dr Gault said: “The EA’s last-minute scramble for places this year should have been entirely foreseeable.

“The answer is not to talk down school leaders and resort to trying to strong-arm schools which are ill-equipped to offer specialist provision units at extremely short notice and with limited support.

“Doing so is disrespectful to dedicated professionals, and not in the best interests of schools, pupils or parents.”

The EA welcomed the proposal for engagement and recognised more must be done to “bring an end to the annual cycle of ‘perpetual crisis’ over places for children with SEN”.

“This is an absolute priority. As we have emphasised, this can only be achieved through securing a large-scale expansion of the number of mainstream schools offering specialist provision,” it said.

The body engagement could ensure “schools are properly supported and, most importantly, that all children in our community receive the best possible education”.

The EA said work on SEN provision for 2026-27 is well underway.

“Ongoing engagement with schools in areas of highest need for SEN provision is a priority for EA every year,” it said.

“We know at first hand the consequences of severe budgetary constraints on education – we see them every day.”