Below follows the Government's reply to the GSD’s recent statement regarding the Special Educational Needs Report:

The GSD’s Atrish Sanchez seems to wish to politicise matters related to persons with  disabilities. The Government will resist that, despite her provocative interview yesterday and will  continue to address matters related to disability in the vein of the constructive exchanges with Ms Ladislaus.  

In fact, the report on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) was commissioned by the  Minister for Education to provide a baseline on which to base future action by looking at whether  the increase in SEND in Gibraltar is real, and if so what might be causing it.  

The Government has been totally transparent in publishing the report in full. But it has not been  inactive waiting for it. Aware of current and future needs, which have now been confirmed and  clearly defined by the report, the Ministries of Equality, Health and Care and Education have been  working together in developing the relevant pathways in order to deal with these.  

From the Education perspective, St Martin’s School is fully staffed with teachers and Special Needs  Learning Support Assistants, almost all the schools now have Learning Support Facilities (LSFs)  ensuring that many more children are within mainstream schools, and support is given when needs  are identified, even before a formal diagnosis is available.  

Parents and family members of people and children with disabilities will welcome the GSLP Liberal  Government’s continued, proactive approach to seeking this report and continued action plans  from the Government, prioritising provision for the most vulnerable in our community.