Education Minister Paul Givan says the special needs system for children is 'no longer sustainable'.
The Department of Education has identified more than 1,000 children with Special Educational Needs who need a school place in September.But the minister told MLAs the current system for children with SEN was "quite simply no longer sustainable".
"Not a single additional pound of capital funding has been provided to my department for additional special needs placements," Mr Givan said.He was asked by the committee chair, Alliance MLA Nick Mathison, what the pressures were for school places for children with SEN in September 2024, and how he would avoid the "crisis" which happened in 2023.
The deputy secretary of DE Lynsey Farrell, giving evidence alongside the minster, called 2023 "the perfect storm".
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