21st November 2025
At INTO’s Education Conference in Sligo today, 500 delegates heard from INTO’s Education Committee the findings of its research project Primary Teachers’ Perspectives on Inclusive and Special Education. The report shows that INTO members believe deeply in inclusive education but feel wholly let down by the systems meant to support them and their pupils. As part of the conference, delegates will discuss the findings of the research in discussion groups and hear from a number of speakers.
The findings highlight that teachers in primary and special schools remain committed to every child in their care but they are being asked to deliver inclusive and special education in conditions that are unsustainable including overcrowded classes, scarce resources, excessive paperwork, no dedicated time to plan and little or no access to specialist and professional supports, which the government is failing to provide.
Many teachers described the emotional toll of managing complex needs without sufficient access to Special Education Teachers (SET), SNAs, or therapeutic supports. What emerged from the research is a portrait of teachers who are skilled and dedicated but trapped in a system that is selling our children short and placing intolerable pressure on teachers.
The findings point to a systemic lack of coordination between the education, health, and social care sectors. INTO members know that inclusion cannot succeed when children wait years for assessments, when schools act as the last resort for unmet needs, or when teachers shoulder responsibilities that rightly belong to multidisciplinary teams. A genuine inclusive and special education system must be planned, funded, and delivered across departments, guided by rights-based legislation and a shared vision.
The INTO has made a number of recommendations including better infrastructure and resourcing, improved initial teacher education and ongoing professional development for teachers and other vital supports for school staff. Therapeutic and counselling supports, early intervention and support for transition between settings are also key to a fully inclusive system.
INTO General Secretary John Boyle responded to the research findings:
If Ireland is serious about developing the most inclusive education system our government must move from rhetoric to reality. Investment in teachers, through time, training, trust, and adequate staffing and resources is the only way to protect the right of every child to a meaningful quality education. The INTO and its members remain ready to work constructively with government to achieve this, but the message is clear – our members’ goodwill will not last forever. If words do not become action, that goodwill may soon turn to action of another kind to secure the supports our members, and their pupils, urgently need.