Leinster House January 30 th , 2019

2. Leinster House January 30th, 2019

3. Inclusion Research has found that academic progress and achievements were better for those children with Down syndrome in mainstream school, as opposed to those children educated in special school settings.

4. Inclusion in Ireland • The majority of children with Down syndrome now attend their local primary mainstream school. • Over the past number of years, increasing numbers of children with Down syndrome are progressing to mainstream post-primary school, having had their primary education in a mainstream setting.

5. Why are We Here Today? • Educational Planning for Children and Young People with Down syndrome • Continuity in Education for Children and Young People with Down syndrome

6. Why are We Here Today? Educational Planning for Children and Young People with Down syndrome

7. E.P.S.E.N. The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (EPSEN) (2004) consolidated the legislation of the 1998 Education Act, focusing on “individual planning, educating children in inclusive settings and the provision of a range of services including assessments and educational support.”

8. U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Ireland signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007 and ratified the Convention on  March 7th, 2018 – the last of the European Union states to do so.

9. C.R.P.D Article 24 of the C.R.P.D ensures that: • Persons with disabilities receive the support required, within the general education system, to facilitate their effective education; • Effective individualised support measures are provided in environments that maximize academic and social development, consistent with the goal of full inclusion.

10. Educational Planning All children need an effective education. Teachers need to plan for the provision of an effective education. What is needed to ensure that this happens? • Planning time for teachers • Adequate resources

11. Our Request Children with Down syndrome must be set up to succeed and not to fail. This will not happen without adequate resourcing

12. What is Needed to Succeed? A national roll-out of training for teachers to enable them to plan effectively for the education of our children and young people with Down syndrome • Initial Teacher Training • Continuous Professional Development for Teachers

13. Present Situation Even though we are a charity, Down Syndrome Ireland is providing training & upskilling for teachers through: • Conferences • Seminars • Full Staff Training in schools

14. Present Situation • Teachers attend our conferences and training events without any recognition from the Department of Education & Skills. • Teachers are desperate to learn how best to provide children and young people with Down syndrome with the best possible education. • Education Centres nationally are requesting CPD courses from teachers.

15. Teacher Union Action • The ASTI and the TUI, while supporting the principle of including students with Down syndrome in mainstream schools, are concerned at the lack of training provided to teachers to enable them to meet the needs of students. • Both unions have advised that their members refuse to provide individual student support files (Individual Education Plans) until additional training and resources are in place.

16. Our Stance • While we understand the concerns expressed, we cannot accept any action which discriminates against students with Down syndrome. • We believe that students with Down syndrome will suffer and will struggle to be successful in education if they don’t have structured education planning in place.

28. Our Stance • We support the Teachers’ Unions in their call for training for all mainstream post primary teachers on supporting students with special educational needs. An inclusive society begins with inclusive education, and any action which undermines the success of this inclusion cannot be accepted.

29. Why are We Here Today? Continuity in education for children and young people with Down syndrome

30. Continuity in Education All children with Down syndrome will have some degree of learning disability, mostly in the mild to moderate range, which will affect their rate of development and learning. • Their rate of development does not proceed apace with their chronological age. • They develop more slowly than their peers but are capable of making progress in all areas of development. • Children with Down syndrome are not simply developmentally delayed but have a specific learning profile. In the vast majority of cases, mainstream schools are the first choice for parents of children with Down syndrome.

31. Issue The issue arises in relation to the length of the summer holidays, when children with Down syndrome, in keeping with their learning profile, will regress educationally, unless they have some level of support in place for at least a portion of the summer break.

32. July Provision Currently July Provision provides funding for an extended school year for children with a severe or profound general learning disability or children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Where school-based provision is not feasible, homebased provision may be granted.

33. July Provision • By limiting July Provision to children with a severe / profound GLD or with ASD, children with Down syndrome are actively discriminated against. • As a result, parents are often forced to consider a special education setting to ensure that their children can avail of July provision. This is despite the fact that the EPSEN Act (2004) asserts that children with special educational needs should be educated in an inclusive environment with children who do not have such needs.

34. Our Stance • July Provision, either school or home based, must be an option for all children with Down syndrome, regardless of their level of GLD. • Extending the school year in this way would reduce the regression and lessen the impact of the long summer holidays with no educational input. • This will ensure their continued successful inclusion and educational development in a mainstream setting.