ONE of Donegal’s most well-known TV stars is set to front a documentary on special needs education in Ireland next week.
Ireland AM presenter and former Special Needs Assistant Eric Roberts is at the helm of new series Crisis in the Classroom and he knows first-hand the difference the right support can make to children.
Inspired by his nephew Oisín, who has cerebral palsy and autism, Eric spent six years working as an SNA before becoming a broadcaster. In this deeply personal documentary, he returns to the world that changed his life to explore what is happening in special education today.
Travelling across Ireland, Eric meets families fighting to secure school places, principals trying to support students in overcrowded and unsuitable buildings, and SNAs facing uncertainty about their future. He witnesses children learning in converted store cupboards, stairwells and repurposed bathrooms, hears from parents who have applied to dozens of schools without success, and meets educators working tirelessly to support some of Ireland’s most vulnerable children despite mounting pressures.
Among those featured is Alison Field, whose son James needs a special school place. After applying to 19 schools, the family faces an agonising wait to secure his education. Eric also meets Katie Healy Nolan, whose nine-year-old daughter Penelope is still waiting for a suitable wheelchair six months after her surgery. Penelope has a life-limiting illness called pontocerebellar hypoplasia, which is a rare neurodegenerative disorder.
Alongside these families, Eric meets Samantha O’Flanagan, an SNA at Stapolin Educate Together in Dublin, where staff say increasing demand has forced children to learn in converted cupboards, stairwells and former bathroom spaces.
The documentary also hears from Fiona Thomas, principal of a special school in Cork, who says staff are struggling to provide the education children deserve in an outdated and unsuitable building; Sophie Brady, an SNA and online advocate who describes the uncertainty many SNAs face from year to year; and Professor Joe Travers of DCU, who warns that Ireland’s current approach to special education is creating serious challenges for the future.
Alongside stories of frustration and inequality, Eric also discovers extraordinary examples of dedication and inclusion. He meets families whose lives have been transformed by the support of exceptional SNAs and sees the profound impact that the right school environment can have on a child’s development. Among them are Cathy and Finn Halpin, whose family experienced the life-changing impact of dedicated school support when Finn’s SNA helped him take his first independent steps.
The documentary also features Eric’s mother, Frances Roberts, an SNA for more than 20 years who has spent decades campaigning for greater recognition, security and professionalisation of the role.
Finally, Eric brings the concerns he has heard from families, educators and SNAs directly to the Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, asking whether Ireland is prepared for the growing demand facing the special education system.
Reflecting on his experience making the documentary, Eric says: “It’s a human right to be able to go to school and learn. And there’s a lot of kids that aren’t getting that”.
Powerful, deeply personal and thought-provoking, Crisis in the Classroom with Eric Roberts asks urgent questions about whether Ireland’s special education system is prepared for the growing demand ahead, while highlighting the resilience of the families, educators and support staff working every day to ensure no child is left behind.
Crisis in the Classroom airs Monday, September 28 at 9pm on Virgin Media PLAY and Virgin Media One.