Tánaiste Simon Harris was greeted with a guard of honour by students of St Ursula’s Primary on Friday February 13 last, when he attended to open the Le Chélie Rooms, which are rooms for children with additional needs, primarily ASD, along with a sensory room.
The Tánaiste received an amazing reception from the St Ursulas students, which included a song from the choir, one-on-one conversations with the Student Council and a beautiful performance of You’ve got a Friend in Me along with lámh sign language, from the junior classes.
It was understood that classes began in the special rooms on Monday this week and that the rooms themselves were won after a hard fought campaign by the parents of the children who needed ASD services.
The Munster Express spoke to Melissa Wall about what the parents went through to get these additional services for their children. Melissa was one of a few mothers who shed a tear during the opening day.
“This journey started in October last year,” said Melissa. “Myself, Orla and a few of the other parents attended the Dáil in October late last year. That was after we got the list [of schools with ASD provisions] and the nearest place was 35 minutes away, which would have been Kilkenny or Wexford.”
“We had been driving out to Passage East, but unfortunately the Early Intervention Unit out there ended up closing.”
“We applied to 36 schools to try and get an ASD place for our kids. Of those 36, 7 accepted us.”
Melissa went on to detail the campaign that followed to try and get special rooms in St Ursulas. “As far as I know Ms Daly had the application in for years prior but us parents got behind it. We went to the Dáil, went on local radio, went out to our local TDs like David Cullinane and Cllr Jim Griffin, they helped massively in terms of writing letters and helping us with what we actually needed to write.
“For them to come this far and get their own place. That’s what it is all about,” said Melissa.
Tánaiste Harris
Speaking at the event, Tánaiste Simon Harris said, “Today is a day of celebration. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I most particularly delighted to have a chance to meet so many students, it genuinely would lift your spirits.
“There is so much negativity and toxicity in the world, and this is the antidote to all of that. Whether it’s the Beacon Programme, whether it’s the work you do around attendance, whether it’s the Student Council, all of that, all of the students that I’ve met, whether it’s the songs that I’ve heard, huge go raibh míle maith agat.
“Can I tell you I am very emotional about today,” said Tánaiste Harris, “because I got involved in politics by accident, when I watched my own mother have to travel miles and miles and miles every day to bring my brother to a school way away from our community and at that time in my home town in Greystones, there was no such thing as a special class in a mainstream school.
“Yes we still have challenges in this country, yes we still have so much more to do, but to see our schools now embracing special classes and inclusive education is going to change lives and change lives for the better.”
“…to everybody who works so hard. I want to wish all the students, and all of the incredible staff in the classrooms the very best. I know they are going to thrive, I know they are going to excel, and that’s what makes all of our jobs worthwhile.”
Finally, after the ribbon had been cut, and the new rooms had been blessed by Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, this newspaper spoke to Mrs Power who will teach in the special rooms.
“This is an incredible opportunity for the school and the people in the class,” said Mrs Power.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for it. Just to see them settle into their new room has been amazing, they are thriving and without the sanctuary of the special classes they wouldn’t have the skill placements that they have, it’s absolutely amazing.”
AARON KENT
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
