Do not deprive our children with special needs of their full time nursery education

The Education Authority has taken the decision to introduce split nursery sessions at two severe learning disability schools, (Clifton Bangor & Tor bank Dundonald).

My son will receive a statement naming one of these as the school in which he will attend nursery. This was to be a 9-1:30 session as it has been in previous years. However the EA have now slashed these hours to 9-11:30 or 12:30-3 meaning that he will now be loosing out on 40+ hours of vital education every month.

My son, like many of his peers who will be attending Tor Bank and Clifton is non verbal and unable to communicate his most basic of needs. Many of these children have various physical, behavioural and medical needs. They require intense, consistent and individualised intervention which will aid their educational, social and emotional development. These new 2.5 hour sessions will make it impossible to meet our children's crucial needs which will have a profound effect on their development in their formative years!

These children will require a more time consuming and specialist approach than children in mainstream education who are generally similar in abilities and needs. Our children will also be accessing various therapies such as occupational therapy,speech and language therapy and physio during these 2.5 hour sessions. We as parents want to ensure that our vulnerable children are going to get the education they need and deserve!

Please support us by signing and sharing this petition so that we can show the EA that our kids are not numbers or relevant expenditure, they are little people who deserve every opportunity to grow and develop just like their peers!!

Thank you.

Sinead McMullan