Presbyterian Moderator praises SEN sector during visit to Magherafelt school

On a recent visit to Kilronan Special School in Magherafelt, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI), Right Reverend Dr Richard Murray, has praised the ‘passion, care and commitment’ of those working throughout the Special Educational Needs (SEN) sector.

Dr Murray also welcomed the promises made in the recent Programme for Government with regards to SEN, the Moderator said, however, that the commitments made needed to be more than aspirational.

Dr Murray was visiting the school as part of his recent weeklong tour of PCI’s Presbytery of Tyrone, one of the Church’s 19 regional bodies.

Having already visited Harberton Special School in South Belfast, Roddensvale in Larne, and Castle Tower in Ballymena, his visit to a Kilronan was his fourth visit to a special school since becoming Moderator in June last year.

He also visited a collaborative project that the school runs in partnership with First Magherafelt Presbyterian Church for a group of its school leaver pupils.

Welcomed by principal, Mrs Sharlene Deehan, she said that the school provides a learning environment where children and young people from three to 19 can ‘Learn, Grow and Achieve Together,’ which is at the heart of the school’s mission.

Dr Murray toured the school with Rev Jonathan Curry, minister of First Magherafelt, meeting staff and pupils.

Talking about his visit to Kilronan, and SEN sector in general, Dr Murray said: “I really appreciated the opportunity to visit the school and found a really warm and welcoming atmosphere where the staff team are clearly passionate about providing the best educational opportunities for their children and young people, and care deeply for them.

“Having visited a number of Special Schools on my Presbytery Tours, I have found this same passion and commitment in teaching children and young people with diverse, complex and often challenging special educational needs. I cannot praise them more highly as they work with parents to provide the best learning opportunities to meet their children’s needs, abilities and potential, in a system that is obviously stretched.”

The Moderator continued: “Talking to Mrs Deehan, and other SEN principals, I have become very much aware of the ‘cliff-edge’ that young people with additional needs face when they leave fulltime education at 19. This is why the relationship with First Magherafelt and the Café Revive initiative is so important. But it is just one option out of too few for those in the runup to leaving school.”

Talking about the promised reform of SEN provision in The Executive Office’s recently published Programme for Government, and the accompanying Special Education Needs Reform Agenda and Delivery Plan 2025-2030, Dr Murray said: “While we welcome the commitment to having an agreed SEN Agenda and Delivery Plan in place by the end of 2027, at this stage these goals, while necessary, feel ambitions.

“Having said that, along with parents and teachers, I look forward to seeing the improved outcomes promised for the children and young people who will ultimately benefit from the reforms, especially the cross departmental commitments to ensure further training, education, or employment, at post 16 and post 19. The first duty of government is to protect and support the most vulnerable in society, I think everyone involved will be ‘watching this space.’”

During the visit Mrs Deehan spoke of some of the challenges that the sector faces. With 174 on Kilronan’s school roll, she said that it was currently operating at well over its intended capacity. Like other SEN schools, this has resulted in the conversion of storerooms and meeting rooms into additional classrooms and therapy spaces.

“We were delighted to welcome the Moderator, and were impressed by the genuine interest that he has for special educational needs. The children who come to Kilronan are unique and often have challenging needs, but they are supported by a great staff team, teaching and non-teaching, who work alongside physio, OT, speech and language therapists, and music therapists, all of whom go above and beyond everyday,” Mrs Deehan said.

“Working to help each child and young person learn and reach their full potential, no two days are the same. In that, we face a wide range of issues, and many of them are not unique to Kilronan, such as the huge capacity crisis that we and other SEN schools face, which means increased class sizes and the repurposing of rooms. More children are coming to us now with behaviours that challenge, and staff retention has become an issue, often due to better pay and conditions elsewhere.”

Mrs Deehan continued: “Despite all of the challenges our students remain at the heart of everything we do. We are also very blessed in that with the support of the Education Authority and Department of Education, we will be cutting the first sod in a School Enhancement Programme in the not-too-distant future. This expansion will create equity for our learners with their mainstream counterparts, however, it will not alleviate our capacity crisis, or all the issues we face.”

Speaking about Café Revive, Mrs Deehan said that it came about over the last 10 years.

“We were very aware that post 19 provision for our young people was lacking. It is still the reality for the vast majority of SEN school leavers. We strive to prepare our young people to leave Kilronan with appropriate life skills. Along with Rev Jonathan Curry and some of my predecessors, Mrs Alison Millar, Miss Lisa Brown and Mrs Bernie McCormick, it was the brainchild of the late Jack Chapman, our longstanding Board of Governors chair, whose daughter attended Townspark, the school before Kilronan was established. The Café has become a great success.”

Dr Murray also visited the café, enjoying a cup of tea and a scone, while meeting the students.

“The longstanding link between Kilronan and First Magherafelt, through Café Revive, was a wonderful example of a very practical and vocational partnership, as it provides important work experience and valuable life skills for students. From waiting on the tables, and taking the orders, to organising rotas, being aware of food and personal hygiene, preparing the refreshments and drinks, while learning to work as a team, it has become a real community asset.

“At the same time, it was also a great example, one of so many that I have seen during my year in office, of local congregations demonstrating their love for Jesus through practical community action. It was a joy to be at," added Dr Murray.