The decision by the Batt O'Keeffe to cut special teacher support in over 100 schools is a clear indication that vulnerable children are to be the next target of this callous government according to Deputy Seán Sherlock.

THE decision by the Batt O'Keeffe to cut special teacher support in over 100 schools is a clear indication that vulnerable children are to be the next target of this callous government according to Deputy Seán Sherlock.

"Next September, close to 1,000 school children with learning disabilities are to be told that they will no longer be getting the support they need, in what amounts to their abandonment by the Department of Education,

"This decision means that no only will these children themselves suffer, but so too will their classmates, as a further burden will be placed on the mainstream teachers who are already under huge pressure," said the Labour TD.

Deputy Sherlock said the trend in recent years has been to accommodate children with learning disabilities in mainstream schools, with much of the old ‘special school' infrastructure being dismantled. This is something that Labour has very much welcomed, but if the replacement infrastructure in mainstream schools is itself now being dismantled, that means that these children are being left high and dry.

"Services for children with special needs have come under sustained attack in recent years, with many schools already suffering from severe cutbacks in Special Needs Assistants numbers. Schools across North Cork are going to be adversely affected by this move which is both inexplicable and unforgivable," he added.