An MHK has expressed concern that not enough is being done to help students who need additional support in schools after the Education Minister told Tynwald that a new code would be ‘subject to funding’.

Daphne Caine MHK had asked the minister, Julie Edge MHK, how the department ‘assesses additional education needs and applies funding for such in its schools.’

Mrs Caine said following the discussion: ‘The Education Minister’s comment that a new Additional Education Needs Code will be in place from September 2023 subject to funding being secured is not very reassuring – what if adequate funding is not secured, and what happens in the meantime? So many families are being impacted by a worrying lack of provision now.’

During the discussion in Tynwald, Mrs Caine also revealed that due to the nature of how funding is allocated out of a specific ‘pot’ from the beginning of the school year, some parents had been told that their child cannot receive any additional support after an assessment by an education psychologist later in the year due to all the funding being allocated already.

Ms Edge acknowledged delays in processing some children’s needs but that her department will prioritise getting students the support they need after the reinstating of the panel to look at complex needs.

Mrs Caine added: ‘Early years provision is critical in supporting children and young people’s development. There just doesn’t seem to be enough additional needs support where it is needed. The department hasn’t had a functioning appeal panel for well over a year and it leaves parents frustrated, their children unsupported.

‘The whole application process for additional support is not simple, it lacks openness and does not seem to deliver support where it is needed. Even when the department’s own psychologist concludes one to one support is needed it is not automatically resourced.

‘Coming on the back of two years of Covid disruption – with no additional funding in our schools for that either – is just not good enough. I would like to see the AEN process made simpler, to have more openness over the allocation of funds, and probably increased funding to meet the current and likely future demand.’

The process of hiring qualified special educational needs teachers was also highlighted during the sitting by Tim Glover MHK who said he had heard of the special needs training given to some teachers amounting to a ‘tick-box exercise’.

Ms Edge explained that though possible to specialise in special educational needs, all qualified teachers will have some training in helping children in this area.