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SEN school places 'scramble' must be repeated, union says
Children with additional needs being left out of school
Thursday 2nd October 2025
Source: BBC News (Northern Ireland)
A teaching union in Northern Ireland has demanded urgent talks with the Education Authority (EA) to prevent a repeat of the "last-minute scramble" for special educational needs (SEN) school places.
The action from the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) comes after some SEN children were left without a placement at the start of the school year.
The union's Dr Graham Gault stated the crisis was foreseeable and caused by "sustained, systemic underfunding," calling suggestions that schools were unwilling to help "profoundly insulting." The letter urges collaborative, strategic planning to avoid a "perpetual crisis." The EA agreed that securing places is an "absolute priority" and welcomed engagement.
It maintains that a large-scale expansion of specialist provision within mainstream schools is the only long-term solution, while acknowledging the severe impact of budget constraints on education.
Read the full article here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80gyd1n90ko
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