The final day of February 2025 was a Friday.
A day where payslips hit accounts and the beginning of more daylight, it’s typically a day to look forward.
Outside the Department of Education, dozens of people are gearing up to camp outside in protest.
From Finglas to Tallaght, Northside and Southside, parents camped outside where they perceive to be the root of their childrens educational problems.
As part of our series, we have covered the systemic and socio-political issues that have spurred the crisis in Ireland’s special education system.
The mere virtue that a sleepout outside the Department of Education was called for is a symptom of how far the issue has progressed.
Starting from 1pm on the afternoon of February 28 until 1pm on March 1, tents were assembled outside the government building in a show of quiet strength and resilience.
As the cloudy February afternoon gave way to early evening, we talked to some of the assembled parents about their reasons for their peaceful protest.
A large cohort of parents from the Ballymun and Finglas area were at the protest, and local councillor Conor Reddy said, “in the past week, four families in north-west Dublin have been in touch with me, terrified that they will not be able to secure school places for their children this September.”
“It’s very clear that despite budget commitments and promises during the general election campaign, nothing has changed.”
“Children with additional educational needs are once again being left behind, with no sign of change on the horizon,” added Reddy, who was there as both a local community representative and a co-founder of DNW Equality In Education.
The question was posed to Reddy if parents from disadvantaged areas were being ignored by government parties.
He believed that this was the case.
Reddy noted that academic studies have been carried out in the United Kingdom and Ireland which looked to explore if there was a correlation between socioeconomic status and the diagnosis of autism in children.
Local parent Rachel, from Finglas, was among the dozens of parents sleeping outside the Department Of Education.
Speaking to this newspaper, Rachel said, “unless you’re living it (being the parent of a child with autism), most people don’t understand the scale of the problem.”
Rachel is attempting to find a school place for her five-year-old daughter Lucy who is due to begin primary school in September.
Rachel has made nearly 30 applications and has received nearly 20 rejections and isn’t holding out much hope for acceptance.
There is a large amount of logistical and emotional hardship involved; a typical application requires the printing and filling out of 40 pages.
The Dublin 15 Common Application trial looks to make the process easier for parents by creating a streamlined, universal application process for parents with over a dozen schools in the Dublin 15 area taking part; outside of Rachel’s catchment area in Finglas.
She said that a similar system being rolled out in Finglas would be beneficial.
The search for a place in September began last November.
She said that she hasn’t mostly stuck to the Northside on her search for applications, saying “she shouldn’t have to travel to secure a school place.”
The Finglas resident said she was inspired to camp outside the Department of Education on that mild February evening simply to prove a point and send a message to the government.
She remarked, “this isn’t a new phenomenon; in fact, this situation seems to be getting worse year-on-year.”
“The government has to start building. It has to start putting pressure on schools to take on these kids and make them offer up places.”
For Labour councillor Alison Field, attending the protest was borne out of personal motivations as opposed to political.
“The emotional and psychological toll on families is immeasurable,” the Clontarf councillor said.
“I know first-hand the stress this can cause. Six years ago, I had to fight for a school space for my son James and the pressure felt unending.”
“Next year, we’ll face the battle of securing a secondary school place for him. Parents are left in a perpetual state of anxiety, uncertain about their children’s futures.”
She said that Dublin City Council should recognise their role in facilitating the crisis and alleviating the burden.
“The issue of vacant properties in Dublin has been a longstanding concern. These properties, if repurposed, could serve as specialised educational centres or community support facilities for children with autism and their families.”
“Imagine the transformative impact of converting these vacant spaces into centers tailored for children with autism?”
Charlotte Cahill, who helped organise the protest, said that she was guaranteed by Minister Norma Foley in a meeting that every school child known to the National Council For Special Education would be given a school place for September 2024.
This did not happen, per the Firhouse resident.
“The majority of those children are still without a school place, and some of those who did get the places aren’t in the actual school place because of staff shortage or building shortages.”
“I exhausted every single avenue in trying to secure a school place for my daughter; I’m in contact with the National Council for Special Education for an hour every week on a Monday trying to discuss how they’re going to find my daughter a school place,” she explains.
She said that pressure should be put on schools to create school places for children under Section 39, the state funding mechanism.
“Every single time, I’m being met with ridiculous answers; they can’t, they won’t, they don’t want to spoil relationships with the schools; yet, they want to lock my daughter out?”
When asked if the people making decisions about special education are simply not interested in fixing the situation, she affirmed, “that is absolutely the case.”
“They just do not want to.”
In the Dáil, Taoiseach Micheál Martin claimed in the Dáil this week that solving the issue is a “key priority for me.”
Considering his party has held the brief of Minister for Disability for 19 of the 28 years it has been in existence, his comments are partially why elected representatives were asked to leave the protest.
“It’s nothing to do with money; it’s to do with the want for change.”
She said, “we’re tired of it; we are going to put our foot down and demand they listen to us.”