The AON Debacle and what it tells us

In this episode I cover the controversial Assessment of Need (AON) process which, to me, shows how the power of silence, supported by the illusion of partnership that representative bodies find themselves, brought us to a place where schools were forced to get the NCSE and the State out of a legal pickle.

This episode gives a single point in the scandal, which gives an example of how the State, supported by the corroboration of representative bodies and stakeholders, and with the silence of those in the service, ensures that services to children with additional needs continues to decline

Shownotes and Links:

01:45 The Assessment of Need Debacle

05:03 Schools' Struggles and NCSE's Response

10:21 Union Involvement and Teacher Reactions

12:39 Media Coverage and Public Outcry

21:07 The Aftermath and Lessons Learned

Dara Calleary Speech: https://twitter.com/Donnchadhol/status/1585234176412114945?t=8Fy3OyCIO9BCES035H7ygQ&s=19

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Welcome to access on done the

collapse of special education.

2

A special podcast from.

3

Unsharp dark.

4

Nash.

5

This is Simon Lewis, a teacher

and principal for over 20 years.

6

In this series, I look back over the

short history of how children with

7

additional needs have slowly but surely

been cast aside by the education system.

8

I argue that much like the crimes

of the Catholic church on children,

9

where the scandal of the 20th century.

10

That how the state is treating

children with additional needs

11

will be the scandal of the 21st.

12

So far in this series, I've touched

on a number of things from the Savage

13

cuts to resources for children with

additional needs, to all sorts of

14

question marks over the NC SES.

15

Policies.

16

That's the national Tansel

for special education.

17

Which have seen a decrease

in support for children.

18

But sometimes it takes one

moment to open up a can of worms.

19

And this is where we go today.

20

Unfortunately, like so many scandals of

our time, the N C S E were rescued by the

21

support of their friends and the silence

of those that could have done something.

22

And chose not to.

23

And like many scandals.

24

It all started off with the legal case.

25

If the start of this

episode sounds familiar.

26

It's.

27

It's a shortened.

28

Version of my.

29

My full invested.

30

into.

31

Into the assessment of

need debacle, the AOM.

32

Debacle that I aired

33

On a one to start by setting

the scene in exactly the same

34

way I set the scene back then.

35

I've already mentioned one

famous Carlo Vion in this series.

36

That's Catherine Thomas.

37

And this time.

38

And I apologize in advance.

39

It's another of Carlos famous exports.

40

The singer.

41

And comedian Richie Carvana.

42

Now I never thought someone

like Richie cabinet would ever

43

feature in a podcast made by me.

44

He isn't exactly my cup of tea.

45

Anyway.

46

However, I couldn't resist

using his best known song as

47

inspiration for that episode.

48

But the assessment of need debacle and

the reaction to it from the NCSE might

49

have had me singing one of the lyrics

from his song, a and vocal Allah, and

50

the word N a O N as my little pony.

51

And I guess the rest of the words,

maybe I'm slightly more vulgar,

52

both the lyrics that I think.

53

Could have been sung after the NCSE

is decisions that I might have song

54

would have been I'd sit down there in

me, chair being treated like a fool.

55

As they basically try to

direct schools to do the job.

56

A high court decision had placed on them.

57

Let's first traveled back

a year or so before that.

58

I'm going to high court ruling in 2021

stated that there was a legal requirement

59

on the education system to provide an

assessment of education needs as part

60

of the assessment of need process.

61

This was in the what's known as the

62

it was never, ever fully implemented.

63

And to be honest, I thought

the assessment of need process

64

was completely HSE led one.

65

However, when it came to a child's

educational needs, it was actually

66

the responsibility of the national

council for special education.

67

The end seat S E.

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This meant that when it came to providing

the assessment of need data for education,

69

the NCSE was supposed to provide at.data.

70

I that is the needs of

the child in question.

71

Up until 2017.

72

That would have been possible.

73

They would have been able to do it

because the NCSE's job before then

74

was to give children the resources

they required based on the data,

75

provided them by the schools, which

were essentially psychological reports.

76

And as you probably know, by now,

77

any data about children from schools.

78

On effectively by 2021, they simply

didn't have any data on suedes of children

79

despite having the legal responsibility

to do so for the purposes of the

80

assessment of need under the apps and act.

81

No.

82

If that sounds like a bit of a quandary

for the NCSE, it was because where were

83

they going to get the data now, after

spending so long, getting rid of it.

84

Since 2017 schools have been

complaining that the resources have

85

been given to the schools didn't

match the needs of the children.

86

And the NCSE had responded by saying

the schools were fully resourced, even

87

going as far as saying they were, that

schools were putting in soft barriers

88

to stop children with additional

needs to come to their schools.

89

They turned on schools year after year.

90

They put in more and more

barriers, which downgraded the.

91

Number of supports available to

children with additional needs.

92

And if schools wanted extra supports

or resources, they had to go

93

through a process that was almost

deliberately designed to fail.

94

This only about 8% of

applications were successful.

95

8%.

96

All of the appeal systems were

almost deliberately designed.

97

to also fail.

98

As one couldn't appeal on certain grounds.

99

In fact, the NCSE.

100

Did it basically put in as systems

where they decided what schools could

101

I could appeal on, and if it didn't

fit on their definition of appeals,

102

then schools couldn't appeal them.

103

Even if those grants were perfectly

justified, the NCSE downgraded the

104

role of the S at the CNO who no

longer could make any decisions.

105

And most decisions were being

made by people that never had

106

set foot in a school building.

107

And.

108

In the majority of cases, schools felt

they were not to be trusted in applying

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for the resources that children required.

110

And that seemed to be the

sort of narrative that.

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Schools felt you can't be trusted

to tell us what resources you need.

112

In fact, someone in an office

somewhere, we'll be doing that for you.

113

The trouble now was the NCSE

needed the information from

114

schools to support the AOM process.

115

And.

116

They needed schools to write.

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A report on children explaining

their educational needs, what they

118

required on this was going to be used

at to support an Aon application.

119

So in some ways, and in fact, not in some

ways, what does absolutely clear was this

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information was going to be trusted by the

NCSE as factual information on a child.

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How were they going to figure out

a way where they could on one hand,

122

not trust teachers, professional

opinion for the purposes.

123

Of getting resources.

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For children with additional.

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Needs.

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And on the other hand, completely

trust their professional opinion on the

127

educational needs of the same children for

the purposes of the assessment of need.

128

They just didn't bother.

129

I was one of the first schools

that got a call to say that there

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was a legal case and they needed

me to provide the NCSE with some

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information on a particular child.

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If it does.

133

It was it was on the 9th

of June 20, 22 to be exact.

134

And I was told that someone from the

department of education and someone

135

from the NCSE will be down to me the

next day to help me fill out the form.

136

And it was to.

137

Fulfill this legal obligation.

138

I didn't think much of it, to

be honest, because they didn't

139

actually explain the legal case.

140

They simply said the mother

had given her consent.

141

So I just thought it was

part of the Aon process now.

142

And anyway, Dan, they came and the

form was filled out and I never

143

heard anything about it again.

144

Few months later.

145

By this stage, I realized that same form.

146

I filled out was due to this particular

legal case where the, from the app's

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ANOC the NCSE and the high course.

148

And despite the fact I wasn't told,

apparently I was part of a pilot.

149

I wasn't told once that

I was part of a pilot.

150

Bush.

151

I think what I'll do is our lash.

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The TD Dara, Colleary explain.

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Dara: This process involves

schools, advocacy groups,

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management bodies and unions.

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The department and the NCSC worked with

a small number of schools on a draft

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of the documents required as part of

the HSE's assessment of need process.

157

The schools provided valuable feedback

on the form and guidance documents which

158

was then used to inform the documents

which had been issued to schools.

159

The department and the NCSE have

put in place a suite of supports

160

to assist schools in completing the

educational component of the process.

161

Simon: There are a couple of

interesting things in this clip.

162

The first one that should strike you.

163

Is that.

164

Clear.

165

Cleary says.

166

Unions.

167

We're involved.

168

in.

169

The negotiations.

170

The second bit is a small number

of schools that gave feedback.

171

As one of those pilots, I was

only asked about the form.

172

On how user-friendly it

was nothing more than that.

173

However, it's the first thing I just

mentioned there that matters more than

174

whether the NCSE were pretending to

bother, to listen to the likes of me.

175

It's the bit where ministered clearly

says that they also involve the union.

176

More importantly, why didn't

the union stop this from

177

happening in the first place?

178

It seemed like such an obvious lead.

179

Wrong thing for it to allow

their members to take part in.

180

What followed.

181

I was a bit of a juggernaut of a week

within a day or so of this memo being

182

released by the department of education,

saying that schools would be responsible

183

for the education part of the Aon.

184

Teachers around the country came to

piece the pieces together of this

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bizarre and frankly, arrogant demand

that schools are now expected to not only

186

do the work, but to use a completely

inappropriate document to do so.

187

not only that there was no information

of how this information was going to be

188

used and whether schools would be liable

for the information that they wrote.

189

There was no acknowledgement of

the extra workload it would bring.

190

And certainly no assurances that

there would be resources given to

191

schools to support the children.

192

We were actually writing the document for.

193

Whatever we wrote didn't

mean that the child was going

194

to get any extra resources.

195

And one of the things we can't forget

is that the situation arose because

196

children with additional educational

needs were not getting the service.

197

They were entitled to.

198

Why would any school want to help the

very agency that was starving them

199

and the children in their care of the

supports that they desperately needed.

200

I made a comparison in a way that

I think I feel was a good one.

201

I compared it to a restaurant, where

if you had a restaurant with a hundred

202

seats, but the chef had only cooked 40

meals and basically forced the waiting

203

staff to feed everyone properly.

204

That's the reality of schools.

205

A school might have a hundred pupils with

additional educational needs, but they

206

might get enough support for 40 of them.

207

And the expectation is that you

would basically give the children

208

what they needed from the fraction

of the resources they needed.

209

And despite many teachers being

missionaries for the Catholic church by,

210

in their daily jobs, as I often argue,

they are not Jesus and they can't perform

211

the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

212

A number of well-known teachers, such as

Trina golden and Vicky Barron came out

213

with their own experience of this debacle,

as well as parent bodies in particular,

214

Rachel Martin from F U S and within a day

or two, some decent media were covering

215

the story, the national principal's forum,

a lobby group, which I often talk about.

216

And I'm part of, we're also

adage of the trops very quickly

217

urgent principles to speak out on

offered solutions for this mess.

218

The Irish examiner, Ron, his story and

their paper with the headline NCSE, trying

219

to bounce legal obligations to children

with disabilities on two principles.

220

And one interesting point about

the article is the journalist got

221

a comment from the department of

education rather than the NCSE.

222

This was the response from some

own named department spokesperson.

223

The departments under.

224

NCSE have put in place a suite

of supports to assist schools

225

in completing the educational

components of the HSEs Aon process.

226

These include detailed guidance, a

short video for use by schools setting

227

out how to comply with the process,

email support, dedicated support line.

228

This line will be staffed by education

professionals who will assist

229

schools and completing the process.

230

Many people chuckled when they sold

the phrase suite of measures, as it

231

reminded them of the days of COVID-19

when the minister for education,

232

Norma Foley used the phrase all the

time to describe what they did for

233

schools, which essentially imagined to

cracking open a window and providing

234

a helpline that nobody seemed to man.

235

It seemed like things were

actually going to happen though.

236

For the very first time we had teachers,

we had parents and we'd media all on the

237

same page, all speaking out about it.

238

It was as straightforward

a case as I'd ever seen.

239

And finally, we had people speaking.

240

We had voices, we didn't have silence.

241

You might wonder what the union was

saying at this point, a few days into

242

this given a couple of days at past.

243

But the answer.

244

Nothing.

245

Not a single word.

246

By the end of the weekend.

247

There was still nothing.

248

And ultimately it took the stakeholders

over a week to respond to the growing

249

discontent, which now included education

spokespeople from political parties,

250

like the social Democrats and shin Fein.

251

The IPPF finally came out with a statement

on Wednesday, which kind of reminded

252

me of the Simpsons episode, where they

played back a video of Richard Nixon,

253

claiming to have a fondness for the

particular brand of beer in order to

254

try and gain a bit of credibility.

255

They were too late to the party.

256

And finally, after labor

came to the party very late.

257

There's always a bandwagon

to jump on the I N T O.

258

A week after being asked again and

again, by their members as to what they

259

were going to do about the situation.

260

They came out with a statement

saying the following.

261

The IMCO has been aware of

this issue since June on the

262

stakeholders are briefed by the NCSE.

263

Very recently, I N T O intend to raise

the issue of the workload associated

264

with this new requirements, a

teacher's consultation council meeting.

265

And it went on without

saying very much else.

266

It turned out.

267

Yes.

268

That the, I N T O had known about

this since the June, before.

269

And they also didn't criticize

the NCSE's move to force.

270

Teachers on principles to fill out a form

that the NCSE should have filled out.

271

I guess I should probably mention.

272

One agency, most of you haven't heard

of, which is NABSME and abs M E.

273

They are the body that represents

boards of management of special schools

274

and schools with special classes.

275

And naturally you'd think they'd

have something to say, especially

276

in light of the fact that their

members were to be most affected

277

.

Yes.

278

That's the sound of tumbleweed.

279

They said absolutely nothing.

280

You might think with all the

pressure of people speaking out.

281

That's something might change.

282

We had advocacy groups, teachers,

principals, even legal people,

283

all saying the same thing.

284

Schools should not be responsible for

completing the assessment of need form.

285

And in some ways, It almost did, but

there was just one missing ingredient.

286

And to me that missing ingredients.

287

Where the schools in that pilot.

288

The ones that the department of education

had tried to say, we're happy enough

289

to fill out the form because while

people like me and Trina golden and

290

Vicky Barron, And a couple of others

were coming out publicly saying,

291

this is not on, this is not okay.

292

The department of education

on the I N T O as well.

293

We're trying to say.

294

There is a very small number of teachers.

295

Showing discontent.

296

Most people were quite happy to fill

out the assessment of need for them.

297

So I thought the best idea

would be to ask the schools and

298

luckily I have access to them.

299

So I decided to write to every primary

school in the country to feed back

300

their thoughts on the AOM process.

301

And according to the ISO, I might've been

one of 17 pilot schools, despite never

302

being told I was in a Polish, but there

were another 66 schools in this pilot.

303

Surely.

304

These schools would come back

to me if I wrote to them.

305

And I spent over two months

trying to get schools to come

306

on board and discuss the issue.

307

And of those.

308

15.

309

Dead.

310

And of those 15 schools.

311

This is what they told me.

312

The Aon process had not been a

positive experience for any of

313

the schools that spoke to me.

314

The forum took considerably longer than

20 minutes to fill in as the department

315

on the IMCO was saying on average, it

was taking two to three hours per child.

316

Every school that filled in the

form was contacted by the NCSE.

317

So alter what the school

had entered into the form.

318

Most schools told me that after the NCSE

had intervened in their form, the contents

319

no longer represented the child's needs.

320

All agreed that this form

was a paper exercise and did

321

nothing to benefit children.

322

They agreed that we were doing the

work to get the HSC and the NCSE off

323

the hook from the responsibilities.

324

Most schools reported that when issues

were raised to the iron toe, I N T

325

O they were downplayed and CEC reps

informed the complainants that they were

326

very much in the minority and feedback

had been overwhelmingly positive.

327

With that level of feedback, you would

think it would have made a difference.

328

But the trouble for me is only

15 schools came back to me.

329

None.

330

We're willing to go on the record.

331

Most importantly, over 70 of those pilots.

332

Didn't reply.

333

I remember my introduction

to this podcast.

334

The effect of silence.

335

In the end, the IMCO had to cover for

its tracks in my view, anyway, that there

336

their job was to cover their tracks,

given that it was now common knowledge

337

that they had agreed to allow their

members to take part in the Aon process.

338

The department of education were only

too happy to take part in some pretend

339

protest where the ICO could say they

demanded 20 changes to the Avon process.

340

And varied.

341

Of those changes, very

little had any impact.

342

The thing basically was pushed

through with the IMCO claiming they

343

fought hard for their members when

they didn't really do anything.

344

Effectively, instead of fighting for

their members, they fought against them.

345

And then when they realized they

were all wrong, they went off

346

and claimed they were fighting on

behalf of their members all along.

347

And in the end, the Aon process

came through and all schools now

348

have to take part and nobody can do

anything about it because when it

349

counted enough, people stayed silent.

350

Apart from how silence

allows bad things to happen.

351

The Aon debacle also taught us

a few other lessons about how

352

special education in Ireland works.

353

On a positive.

354

We learned that there are certain

newspapers and certain politicians

355

that believe school staff and parents

when they present them with an

356

issue and often they work quickly.

357

We learned that some media outlets.

358

Despite all this evidence.

359

I prefer to stay silent and often will.

360

Put out the, I suppose the department

of education's official press

361

releases or, and so on and ignore

the protests of parents and schools.

362

We also learned that some politicians.

363

Also work quickly, but we learned

that some politicians only jump on the

364

bandwagon when something becomes sexy

enough, but don't do anything until then.

365

And then.

366

we learned that certain politicians that

actually have the power and most often do

367

have the power often say nothing at all.

368

We learned that representative

bodies often don't understand what's

369

going on the ground and aren't

particularly interested in finding out.

370

And then they miss the point when, and we

learned that lobby groups and grassroots

371

groups do understand what's going on.

372

And that annoys the representative

bodies and incentive talking

373

to the grassroots groups.

374

They completely ignore their existence

and continue to fail to understand

375

what's actually happening on.

376

the ground.

377

And we saw that in spades

with the Aon debacle.

378

We also learned that when you've

been caught out doing something

379

wrong, Simply call what you

were doing, a pilot or a trial.

380

And that's certainly what I

consider happens with my case.

381

One of 17 schools that.

382

We're, very quickly and desperately

tried to get us to do this legal

383

thing because they thought they

were going to be brought to court.

384

And when it turned out.

385

Wasn't they just called it a trial.

386

And we've also learned anyway,

that although it takes very little

387

effort for an agency to introduce an

initiative or an extra layer of work

388

into the system, it takes massive

efforts for the people affected to

389

try and not only put a stop to it, but

to convince those that are supposed

390

to be protecting them to intervene.

391

And in some ways that's the most

disappointing part of this whole story.

392

So perhaps I've learned something by going

through this very specific scandal, within

393

a much larger scandal of how children

with additional needs are being treated.

394

Silence.

395

Is actually only part of the problem.

396

And perhaps there's a much bigger problem.

397

And it's the relationship that.

398

That the department of education seem

to have built with the people that.

399

are supposed to represent schools.

400

This debacle was worn in a long

series of situations over the last

401

decade where the teacher's union

has fought against its own members.

402

Some of, you might remember dread.

403

Probably being the most

fractious and infamous one.

404

And I have to say, I must revisit

dat for a podcast series soon.

405

Although I did do a bit of

an investigation into it.

406

If you want to look back.

407

The Aon debacle for me, ended up being a

story of how the entire education system

408

came together to let children down.

409

Everyone from schools to stakeholders,

to the department of education,

410

collaborated and corroborated to pull

the wool over the eyes of families.

411

When some of us called it out.

412

We were told we were in the

minority and we were wrong.

413

Nobody else was complaining.

414

Everyone was happy.

415

The saddest thing for me is that

most principals shrugged their

416

shoulders and let it happen.

417

When I put the call out to

schools to take less than one

418

minute to email me only 15 dead.

419

Once the whole thing was over the line.

420

As far as the NCSE were concerned,

they could now contact whatever school

421

they needed to fill out those forms.

422

And only when it, when this affected

a few more principals or went to

423

schools that hadn't gotten touch.

424

All of a sudden when it

landed on their door.

425

That's when some principals

got in touch with me.

426

It was way too late by then.

427

I have to admit difficult for me to take.

428

For my own sake, despite

spending months on this.

429

I had to give up.

430

I know it could easily have been stopped.

431

However, there was one agency

that is barely hard mentioned.

432

In a way.

433

And when I say, I mentioned, I've

mentioned them several times in

434

this episode, but didn't, basically.

435

Have much to say on this,

and it's probably the most

436

important cog in the wheel.

437

And it's the NCSE themselves.

438

The agency that according to the high

court case was responsible for gathering

439

the educational data for the AOM process.

440

And I've gone through quite a

number of people and organizations

441

that spoke out and bottled.

442

So it's probably only fair that I give

the last word to the NCSE themselves.

443

You won't be surprised to hear.

444

This is what they said.

445

they said.

446

absolutely nothing.

447

At all

448

the onshore podcast is written

and produced by me, Simon Lewis.

449

If you'd like to hear more of my thoughts

on primary education in Ireland, you

450

should subscribe to my mailing list

on Shaw dot Nash slash subscribe.

451

And if you've enjoyed this podcast so

far, please consider reviewing it on

452

your favorite podcasting player as well.

453

Help other people find it more easily.

454

Until next time.

455

Thanks so much for listening.

456

Goodbye.