Education Minister will be judged on delivery of SEN provision, says Alliance representatives, calling for urgent action.

Alliance Education spokespeople Nick Mathison MLA and Michelle Guy MLA have urged the Education Minister to provide a clear delivery plan for supporting children with special educational needs (SEN), following the Minister’s recent statement in the Assembly.

Education Nick Mathison Michelle Guy SEN

Despite outlining work undertaken over the past 18 months, they say the Minister failed to provide specific details on how his department will deliver meaningful change for children, families, and schools.

 

Mr Mathison has said: "While it is welcome that the Education Minister has acknowledged the scale of the challenge in SEN provision, his announcement lacked the detail and commitment needed to assure parents, teachers, and school leaders that real change is on the way.

 

"Every week, I hear from school principals and staff about the immense pressures they face in supporting children with SEN. From staffing shortages to lack of resources and funding, these challenges are well known. We need a delivery plan from the minister outlining clear actions, timescales, and deliverable outcomes. This has simply not come through yet.

 

"This week, the Education Authority (EA) gave a detailed briefing to the Education Committee, reinforcing the urgent need for a child-centred approach to SEN provision. While the EA is making some progress with structural change it is clear that to get to where we need to in SEN support we need direction and funding from the Minister."

 

Ms Guy added: "For years, successive ministers from both the DUP and Sinn Féin have overseen failure in the provision of SEN education, commissioning review after review without action. The DUP’s recent two-year collapse of the Assembly has only worsened the crisis, leaving many vulnerable children without the support they need at a time when action was desperately needed.

 

The Minister must recognise that SEN provision will be one of the key areas on which he is judged during this mandate and therefore must urgently set out a detailed delivery plan to address the challenges. Parents, staff, and most importantly children, cannot afford to wait any longer for action."