The decision to deny a bullied child a place in Transition Year is “absolutely wrong”, Aontú has said.
The Ombudsman for Children has published a report which details complaints from families who feel their child was unfairly denied a place in TY.
The report outlines the case of one child whose absences from school due to bullying counted against him.
They also met with a teenager with Down’s Syndrome who was denied a place after she was interviewed by five adults without one of her parents present.
On Newstalk Breakfast, assistant principal and Aontú education spokesperson Eric Nelligan said he was shocked by the contents of the report.
“[It’s] absolutely wrong,” he said.
“Any school that denies a child a place in Transition Year because of a disability is wrong - and we have to be clear on that,” he said.
“Any school that denied a school in Transition Year because the boy was absent due to bullying - I’m sure the school will have a record of this bullying - and if absences were taken into account, that is absolutely wrong.”
High demand
Mr Nelligan said that if cost is an issue for a family, the best thing they can do is approach the school and ask for help.
“Some schools, they have to make choices about who can get in because they might not have the space,” he said.
“Unfortunately, Ireland has a very low percentage of GDP going into education - half the European average.
“So, what we’re seeing is, schools are overcrowded… so, schools have to make cuts but applying the cuts to children with disabilities or mental health issues or bullying is absolutely wrong.”
Finance
Mr Nelligan also noted that Transition has become increasingly costly - both for schools and families.
“Most secondary schools might charge a couple of hundred euros - maybe €300 or €400,” he said.
“I’ll be honest, being an assistant principal in a school, that will only scratch the surface on the costs of transition year.
“A good transition year means the students aren’t in their classroom reading books, they’re out doing things or going on tours.”
Mr Nelligan said that if cost is an issue for a family, the best thing they can do is approach the school and ask for help.
“If a student is genuinely under pressure or if the economics in their family are not in a good place, they should speak to the school,” he said.
“Most schools will be able to offset it or they will be able to cancel the fee.”
Transition Year was first introduced as a pilot programme in 1974; it became a mainstream part of the education system in 1993.
Main image: Students in class. Picture by: Marijan Murat/dpa
