Galbraith Slams EA Over SEN Kids Left Waiting

Special need children are again left waiting on confirmation of school travel arrangements

• “Left at the Roadside”: Galbraith slams Education Authority over school transport withdrawal for vulnerable children

Downpatrick SDLP councillor Conor Galbraith has criticised the Education Authority (EA) after another local family has been left “confused, stressed, and abandoned” just days before the start of the new school year.

Cllr Galbraith was speaking after being contacted by a family who were informed this week that their child’s home-to-school transport has been withdrawn, despite the child having a formal SEN statement which clearly outlines that transport support is essential due to complex needs.  

He added: “Every August, as schools prepare to return, I am contacted by parents who still do not know whether their child will receive the transport they rely on.

“Parents are too often being left anxious and confused just days before the school term begins, with no certainty about how their child will even get to school.

“These are families already coping with complex needs and, in many cases, high levels of stress. To pull the rug from under them at the last moment is cruel and unacceptable.

“The EA must stop hiding behind bureaucracy and recognise the very real human impact of these decisions. A statement of educational needs is supposed to be a guarantee of support.”

The SDLP councillor called on the EA to urgently reinstate the transport support and overhaul its approach in similar cases. 

“Children with SEN need certainty and security in order to thrive in school. Instead, the EA are creating confusion and instability.

“Vulnerable children cannot be left at the roadside. The EA has a duty to provide support and I will continue pressing them until they start treating families with the dignity, clarity and compassion they deserve,” said Cllr Galbraith.