Buncrana special educational needs students in 'sub-standard facilities'

Students with special educational needs attending Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana are being taught in sub-standard facilities, according to one concerned parent.

Anthony Harkin, whose son AJ is one of 20 pupils in the school's special needs unit, described the building the unit is currently using as damp, mouldy and lacking accessible toilets.

Post-covid, Scoil Mhuire's special educational needs students were moved off-campus, to the Lake House, near the Lake of Shadows hotel.

AJ, who is from Dumfries, has cerebral palsy. He is wheelchair bound and is not verbal.
Dad, Anthony said: “AJ would be classed as severely disabled. He was in Scoil Íosagáin NS in Buncrana. That was a brilliant school. The education system was second to none.

“We planned to put him into Little Angels in Letterkenny but when we viewed the facilities in Scoil Mhuire, we were just blown away. The old convent was purchased to house the special needs unit.

“AJ stayed on an extra year at Scoil Íosagáin because he could, which meant all his peers were already in the unit in Scoil Mhuire. It was a brilliant facility and we were very, very impressed with it. It was bright and airy and roomy.

“However, when covid hit, they got moved down to the Lake House, off campus, which is the whole issue. We were told at the time, it was to keep the special needs unit in a bubble. We realise now it was all part of the plan to take control of the special needs unit for the mainstream classes due to overcrowding.

“The special needs unit has been repurposed as part of the mainstream campus. It is no longer available for special needs students. I think there might be one mixed class in there currently. However, the Lake House is completely unsuitable. It is too small. It is not wheelchair accessible. It has damp and mould issues.”

Mr Harkin said the doorways in the Lake House are only standard and not suitable for wheelchairs.

He added: “The ramp is not the 1 in 12 scale of a gradient. The toilet facilities are not wheelchair accessible. The building is too small.

“Apparently, there are new, state of the art facilities coming online at Scoil Mhuire, which is great, everybody would be more than happy to see them, but it will not be within the next 12 months. I don't believe it will happen in the duration of my son's time at Scoil Mhuire. The building will drag on for the next 10 years. It is kicking the can down the road.

“I would have concerns that AJ and other students are suffering respiratory issues because of the mould and damp. When we complained they put a dehumidifier into the room.

“We also suspect the walls have been panelled to hide the mould. We do not want the kids, teachers and SNAs to be in the building any longer than necessary. We were sold a golden goose. We could not believe our luck when we saw the facilities initially.

“Now AJ and his fellow students have been put in this dark house, on the main road with no outside facilities unloading and loading children on to buses on the main road. They have been excluded. They have been pushed out of Scoil Mhuire.”

Local TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Féin) said he had raised the concerns of the families with the management of Scoil Mhuire and he was going to raise them again.

In a statement to Inish Live, Ms Rosaleen Grant, the Scoil Mhuire principal said the school had worked “very hard in terms of opening and operating special classes”.

She said: “In the last four years, Scoil Mhuire has opened five units. These classes were opened to facilitate students with special educational needs and their families in the local community rather than travelling to Letterkenny.

“At the time of opening, we were promised additional accommodation by the Department of Education and Skills, which has not yet arrived, so we have to make the best of the facilities available.

“The good news is that the school has secured funding and approval for building of a new complex with special class units. This has involved a lot of time and extra work but the plans are approved and hopefully it will move to construction stage very soon.

“At all times, Scoil Mhuire has worked very hard to ensure that all students and especially special class students get the best education possible within the resources available.

“When our school was required to socially distance students, alternative accommodation had to be sought. We were fortunate to secure off-site accommodation, with garden facilities, so near to the school.

“The accommodation in question was adapted to suit the needs of the students being placed there. This is a temporary arrangement and will be revisited when school Covid guidelines are revised by the Department of Education and Skills.

“Personally, I would have been delighted if our new complex had been completed  for last September and be assured the Board of Management will continue to do their very best to secure the new 11-room extension as soon as possible.”