Debate contribution: Special Educational Needs Coordinators
Debate contribution by Mrs Cathy Mason on .
- MLA
- Mrs Cathy Mason
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 28 April 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Special Educational Needs Coordinators
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5510275
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I will start by thanking Michelle and Nick for bringing this really important issue to the Chamber, but I have to say that it is getting to the stage where SENCOs are coming to us and asking what the point is in raising these issues again and again if the Minister and the Education Authority are not prepared to listen and if the Health Minister is not even at the table. We could stand here today and list every single pressure facing our SENCOs: the workload, the lack of support, the constant firefighting and the barriers to getting help for children. Michelle outlined all those issues really well. The truth is that all of this has already been said time and again. It has been raised by principals, by teachers, by classroom assistants, by SENCOs and by the parents who are watching their children struggle. The question is no longer about what the problems are; the question is when will they listen? What we are hearing from those on the ground is deeply alarming. SENCOs are at breaking point. They are not just raising concerns any more. They are pleading with the Education Authority and pleading with the Minister to reset, to listen and to make changes before more damage is done. This new system is stretching them to breaking point. We have already heard about recent research showing that nine out of 10 teachers are experiencing burnout, many of them pointing directly to the pressures of supporting children with additional needs. A SENCO workload survey that we heard about in Committee laid bare the reality of overwhelming paperwork, impossible workloads and the lack of very basic communication. Seventy-eight per cent feel poorly supported or not supported at all. Eighty-six per cent are considering leaving the role entirely. Let that sink in. The very people who we rely on the most are asking themselves whether they can keep going. At the same time, I have been contacted by so many staff who are working in the Education Authority, particularly those in the local impact teams and in literacy support roles, and it is genuinely heartbreaking to listen to them. Those are skilled, committed professionals who should be out in schools helping children who are struggling to read. Instead, they are spending their time trying to navigate and, at times, work around a system that is failing them. They are pleading to get children who are in their care the support that they so desperately need or are sitting answering telephones, tied up in a system that they feel is failing children, and not just failing children but actively harming them. They feel blamed. They feel that they are being talked about as part of the problem. Let me be absolutely clear: this is not their fault. They are dedicated individuals working across the Education Authority, doing everything that they can in incredibly difficult circumstances. I have heard from them directly, and I know how hard it is for them. This is not a failure of people, it is failure of a system that they are being asked to operate in. Minister, no amount of spin in the Chamber is going to change that because I know what is going to come next: a list of actions and plans, and the familiar line that more money is needed. That is just not going to wash with SENCOs anymore. They are just words. This is about the reality on the ground, and the reality is that the system is stretched to breaking point and the people holding it together are crying out for help. The Children's Law Centre issued a clear and unequivocal warning that the reforms risk moving things in the wrong direction. That cannot be ignored. Minister, I do not believe for one second that you want those children to come to harm or that you want SENCOs and EA staff pushed to the edge. I do believe, however, that your ego has clouded your judgement because when every single voice on the ground is calling for you to pause, reset and listen, and you continue on regardless, that is not leadership. Minister, you spoke in the Chamber this morning about wanting to work with Sinn Féin. Now is your chance; prove it. It is time to face reality. Reset, listen and please work with all of us. Work with the SENCOs. Let the ego, bluster and deflection go. Work with everyone before more damage is done.
747 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.07 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.79).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.04 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.05 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.05 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.79 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.07 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.91 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.08 |
| Education structures, integration and community division | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:31 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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