Minister Joan Burton along with Professor Paul Reville, unvail a plaque commerating the official opeing of Coiscéim 2 , Huntstown Dublin 15.
Minister Joan Burton TD thanked Seán Ó Diomasaigh, Principal and Tony Hickey, Chairperson of the Board of Management at Sacred Heart National School Hunststown, Dublin 15, and members of the board for the invitation to celebrate the official opening of Coiscéim 2, which is the second dedicated class for pupils with autism in Sacred Heart Nation School, Huntstown.
Minster Burton, welcomed Professor Paul Reville, Professor of Practice, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Professor Reville is on a reciprocal visit under the auspices of Boston College and the State Department of Massachusetts. This followed a study visit by the Principal, Seán Ó Diomasaigh, to Boston, representing principals of primary schools in Ireland last year. The Minister continued by extending a further welcome to all members of staff; pupils; members of the parents association and parent community; public representatives.
Minister Burton said “I would like to commend the Principal and the Board of Management for their commitment and dedication in bringing this refurbishment project of a new autism classroom to completion stage. The school has grown from strength to strength since 1983. It started out with two teachers and it now has 50 teachers, 9 SNAs and 900 pupils. I am delighted to see the progress over the years. The school opened its first autism class – Coiscéim 1 (Step 1) – in 2011 catering for 6 pupils . Now it has a wonderful new classroom for a second autism class – Coiscéim 2 (Step 2) – catering for another 6 pupils which opened in November 2012. I am aware that the school enjoys a very active parent community and Parents’ Association, who support the principal and staff very well in their work, so very well done to you all. The old Irish proverb — ‘ní neart go cur le chéile’ (our strength is our unity) — is inscribed on your school crest. It embodies the dynamic unity and co-operation of the school community here in Huntstown. The school has a long history of providing for the educational needs of all of its pupils in an inclusive and holistic way.
One of the great strengths of a truly inclusive school is that children develop, at an early age, a great sense of caring for others, and an awareness of the importance of community.
Children learn to accept and value individual differences, which in turn leads to a more inclusive society.
This school is an excellent example of how to recognise and respond to diverse needs of their pupils while also having a continuum of support and services to match those needs.
I know that in this school, there has been on-going contact with parents and close cooperation with: the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), the National Educational Psychology Service (NEPS), and the Health Service Executive (HSE) This has resulted in a model of excellence for the education of pupils with special educational needs.
It’s wonderful to see the early intervention for children with autism and I am certain that this new classroom will provide very welcome facilities to support this good work and give more children the opportunity to benefit from the expertise and dedication of staff”.