The Special Needs Action Group says it is "concerned" by the recent comments made by Government regarding St Martin's School.

A statement from SNAG follows below:

A year after opening, ‘unprecedented’ demand sees St Martin’s already at capacity…

These are the comments made in a recent Gibraltar Chronicle article this week and confirmed by the Director of Education Ms Keri Scott. This might not come as a surprise, especially to many parents of pupils of St Martins school, some of whom now sit in the Committee of SNAG and took part in consultation meetings during the initial planning stages of the school. Already during these early consultation meetings several years ago, the need for more forward planning to accommodate the rapid rise in children being identified as having SEN/disabilities was emphasised, and parents warned that unless changes were made, the new school would probably soon be small. Parents, professionals, groups, charities and NGO’s have been warning of this increase for years, and of the fact that this brand-new school was going to become small far too quickly. It is evident from concerns expressed to us not only by parents but also by employees within this school and professionals that work within this field, that space seems to be quickly becoming an issue.

Although SNAG has welcomed the magnificent new school which is a highly beneficial for children with SEN and disabilities, it calls for more permanent solutions to accommodate this increase in numbers of pupils. We all recall how the pupils of the former St Martins school were schooled in portable cabins for several years, something which must never be repeated. An in-depth statistical analysis of figures over several years should have ensured the building of a facility with plenty of room for growth in numbers according to projected data. It would also encompass transitional pathways into continuing education.

SNAG has very publicly been raising concerns about the greater need for forward planning and better solutions to accommodate children who enter EBN at the (pre) pre school age for Early Intervention and solutions to extend these hours to a more realistic one than only two hours a day, as they very often have no other settings available to them which can cater for their needs and offer them equal access to learning opportunities and environments in safe and appropriate settings. We have stressed the need to invest in recruitment and training of specialised staff, along with regulation zones and areas that will help LSFs in Mainstream schools be in a better position to enter more meaningful and effective outreach programmes to facilitate greater and more effective outreach transitions for those children that can transition out of St Martins school, or vice versa. Finally, we have advocated endlessly for better and structured pathways into continuing/further education and the creation of a further education facility for young adults with SEN/Disabilities that needs to work holistically with a supported employment programme to ensure the positive outcomes for these young adults. It is imperative for any administration to finally come to terms with the logical conclusion (which is surely not very hard to comprehend) – children become young adults and evidently, children with SEN/disabilities are no different in this eventuality. The failures to find effective and meaningful pathways that cater for all the unique and different abilities of young adults with SEN/Disabilities is alarmingly lacking and will only become more apparent as this generation of children become older and we continue to fail them due to lack of forward planning and foresight. It is with this in mind that it should be noted that when SNAG says that not enough is being done, it simply is because this is the harsh reality.

SNAG has also been extremely vocal in expressing the fact that we are blessed with amazing and hard working professionals across all sectors to do with SEN and disability service provisions who do their absolute best with the resources at their disposable. We will never tire of expressing our gratitude and admiration for the dedication and vocation demonstrated by these professionals on a daily basis. But more must be done to also help them in their endeavour as they are very often on the receiving end of frustrated persons, parents and families who are not receiving the support that they need.

Last December SNAG proposed an innovative proposal to the Government, for its consideration which would tackle some of these issues and many more. This proposal included designs that catered for a Further Education Centre, an Early Intervention Nursery, Transitional Living Accommodation and opportunities for both respite and overnight respite facilities, amongst other useful and much needed facilities. We are hopeful that the Government will take this project on board to improve disability and SEN service provision in Gibraltar. We are certain that if HMGOG productively and collectively works with all those who are genuinely trying to create a better and brighter future for this generation of children, the outcome would undoubtedly be a more inclusive society for all.