Fleming Fulton: Special school class closures 'just not fair'

Michelle Watton said messages about classes being cancelled can come through at short notice

The mother of a pupil with Down's syndrome has described regular short notice closures of her daughter's school class as "just not fair".

Michelle Watton's five-year-old daughter Isabella is a pupil at Fleming Fulton Special School in Belfast.

But she and some other pupils have been told not to come to school on a number of days recently.

In messages to parents, the school said it was "unable to safely meet the needs of your child's class" due to staffing.

Most recently, Ms Watton was told Isabella could not attend school on 5 October and again on 13 October.

When contacted by BBC News NI, the Education Authority (EA) said more staff had now been recruited to enable classes at Fleming Fulton to run as normal.

The special school in south Belfast has more than 150 pupils aged from three to 19 with a range of special educational needs, including physical and learning difficulties.

Ms Watton told BBC News NI that going to Fleming Fulton was hugely important for Isabella.

"From when Isabella was born, we have done everything above and beyond that we feel we can to get her out into society," she said.

"We just wanted the best for her and to give her as independent a life as we possibly could."

• Special school says pupils to attend part-time

"She's fully tube-fed, and she's quite fiery and independent and everything is on her terms.

Ms Watton continued that Isabella loved school and it had been great for her development.

"With a learning disability, she obviously needs all the help she can get to make her become independent," she explained.

More than 150 pupils with a range of special educational needs attend the school

Ms Watton also works in a school, so both she and Isabella rely on a regular routine, but she often finds out that Isabella's class is not taking place at very short notice.

They get messages through the SeeSaw app, which many schools use to send messages to parents and to keep them up to date with their children's classwork and homework.

But Ms Watton said messages about the closure of Isabella's class often only come through at short notice.

'It's just not fair'

"There are times that it's coming through late at night - maybe seven, eight or nine o'clock at night - to say that Isabella can't attend the next day," she told BBC News NI.

"Isabella also has a SeeSaw app and her work would come through to me on it, and I've actually got to the stage now where I'm dreading opening that app to look.

"I'm scared it's going to be another message to say she can't come to school.

"It's just horrible, it's just not fair on everybody."

In a statement to BBC News NI, a spokesperson for the EA said they recognised "the impact that the recent class closures have had on families at the school and the frustration and inconvenience this causes".

"It is essential that all classes in school have the appropriate number of staff to support pupils and ensure their safety and well-being," the statement continued.

"The recent class closures were due to a number of staff absences and the difficulties around engaging classroom assistants on a temporary basis."

The EA said it had been successful in securing staffing levels which would enable classes to operate as normal.