The Dublin Central Equality in Education campaign group is asking for your support. We are a group of parents across the Dublin Central area of Dublin campaigning for ALL children with additional needs to have access to a school place in their community, and they receive the  support and resources they need to live the fullest life possible and have the opportunity to thrive.  We are part of the wider national Equality in Education campaign and support their demands. We as the Dublin Central area want to build awareness locally and campaign to ensure ALL the children in Dublin Central can access a school place in their community.  We are asking you to sign and share our petition with family friends and your community.  If you wish to get in touch with our campaign you can email here: [email protected] We are campaigning for the following:  • All children with additional needs in the Dublin Central constituency have an education place for September 2025.  • There is no cap on SNA allocation and all children have the SNA support they need and access to all other extra resources in classrooms across schools in the Dublin Central area.  • In the Dublin Central area the SENO will contact all creche and early years settings  to ensure all children who will need a special education place are accounted for.   • The demands of SNAs in current contract negotiations are met. They have access to professional development to support their role and the children's needs. Changes are made to minimum qualification requirement to enter the profession as per SNA campaign 

If it’s not safe for kids in cinemas, it shouldn’t be safe for them online. We do our best as Parents to police our kids social media but its not always possible. If netflix has ratings, why not social media! Sign now to demand real protections for young people — and stop toxic content from shaping their future

There is a consistent shortage of teachers, both in certain geographical areas and for certain subjects. The impact of this shortage means that government departments are now turning to the idea of allowing primary school teachers to work in secondary schools and vice versa. There also is an ever increasing need for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision, but currently there is not enough teachers available to meet the demand for mainstream teachers, let alone SEND teachers. Introducing a specific SEND teacher training pathway would be a great way to alleviate this issue in. Children and young people have a wide range of needs and deserve access to the most suitable educational supports possible. If they are not offered the necessary supports, these pupils are far more likely to experience educational disadvantage, limited career prospects and lower life satisfaction compared to their peers. If unaddressed, their additional needs could also result in them experiencing physical, mental and emotional health challenges. Despite the fact that so many pupils face these challenges, which have such a huge impact both on their lives and on their potential in the classroom, current teacher training programmes do not cover much content about SEND provision. This makes it hard for teachers to cater for their pupils’ increasingly complex needs. There are pupils of all backgrounds and abilities with varied personal interests in schools across the country, which is very encouraging to see and makes it easier for pupils to find peers who they can relate to. Unfortunately, this diversity is rarely reflected in Irish staffrooms. The cost of university, the high entry requirements and the time it takes, deters many people from undertaking teacher training. Of course there needs to be high entry standards so that the students go on to become competent and professional educators. However, this intense training system edges out people who have the potential to be great teachers.  Having high exam results does not automatically mean that someone would make a great teacher, nor do low exam results automatically mean that someone would not be a great teacher. There is more to education than just grades, which pupils struggling with the demands of the school curriculum would be glad to hear. People often want to have a career where they can give something back and help people as an appreciation for the help they got in their own lives. For SEND pupils, they might like to become a SEND teacher themselves, especially as they would have a great understanding of their future pupils’ needs since they have been through the special education system themselves. It can be very comforting for pupils to know that that the person who is there to help you has experienced similar challenges so totally understands how you feel. However, these SEND pupils are often the pupils who might find it difficult to get into teacher training due to the challenges they face, so are not able to fulfil their wish of helping pupils in similar circumstances to them.  Even if they did not receive special education themselves, some future teachers know before they start teaching that they would like to work in special education rather than in a mainstream classroom environment, but currently there is no option to go directly into SEND teacher training, which might discourage them from going into teaching at all. Opening up a teacher training pathway so that trainees could specialise in SEND from the start would be a great option for the following reasons; It would help to address the teacher shortage, both at primary and secondary school levels, as it would allow people with an interest in the area to train and work directly in SEND, rather than schools struggling to fill SEND teaching roles with non-SEND teachers due to a lack of SEND specific teachers. It would be a great way to attract potential teachers to the sector who might not like the idea of working in a typical classroom environment so therefore might opt to avoid teaching altogether. It would open up teacher training to more people, especially those who do not meet the usual teacher training entry requirements (for example if they did not do Irish in school due to specific learning difficulties or not having been raised in the Irish education system).  It will allow for a greater diversity of teachers, which will more accurately represent the ever increasing diversity of pupils with all different backgrounds, abilities and interests in our schools. It would give people who have experienced SEND provision (either directly themselves or from seeing the positive effect it has had on other people in their lives) more opportunities to give back to the system that they have benefitted from themselves. It would improve the quality of SEND provision in schools, as current traditional teaching programs cover very little about SEND provision, so having people trained specifically in this area would help to counteract that. It might help to reduce the demand and points for traditional teacher training courses, which would give more people the opportunity to pursue typical teaching courses, helping to alleviate the teacher shortage even further.  Thank you for taking the time to read this, hopefully it will result in the introduction of SEND teacher training pathways in the near future!   Amy Reynolds* *I am a qualified Special Needs Assistant (SNA), Teaching Assistant (TA) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) teacher. I am passionate about education, particularly inclusive education, and the benefits it brings, especially for pupils with SEND. I myself have not been able to reach my dream of becoming a teacher due to limited entry pathways and high entry requirements for teacher training course. I now work in pharmacy and am completing an apprenticeship pharmacy technician style course. I would like my future work to combine education and pharmacy / healthcare*

The closure of The Wombles at this location will not only leave children without crucial early learning opportunities but will also place an immense strain on working parents who depend on after-school care. Many of us have built our work schedules around this service, knowing our children are in a safe, familiar, and supportive environment. The impact extends beyond our families, affecting six dedicated early years educators who may lose their jobs. Early years education plays a vital role in identifying children who may need additional support or early intervention, and The Wombles has been instrumental in ensuring children receive the help they need from an early age. Over the past decade, they have provided Level 7 support for children who have gone on to thrive in school. We urge you to find a solution that does not leave 98 children without care and education. Our families need your immediate attention to this matter.

  No child should be left without the care they need to grow, learn, and thrive — yet across Donegal and Ireland, children with disabilities have been forgotten. Families have waited years, sometimes a decade, for essential services like occupational therapy, speech therapy, and early intervention. My own child has gone without occupational therapy for the past two years, with only 4–5 appointments in the last ten years. This is not an isolated case — it’s a nationwide crisis. By joining this campaign, you are standing up for every child who has been denied the opportunity to reach their full potential. You are giving a voice to parents who have been fighting, unheard, for the care their children deserve. And you are demanding accountability and immediate action from the government to fix this failing system. Together, we can push for real change — increased funding, reduced waiting lists, and a future where no child is left behind. Your support can make the difference between years of neglect and a system that truly serves the most vulnerable in our communities. Let’s fight for their future — because every child matters.

This is a campaign for change to introduce driving improvements for child safety across Semple Woods. As the estate grows we will see an uplift in cars and traffic. That is why speed signs are important.

We know what needs to be done to protect children from the horrific harms of climate breakdown - urgent cuts wherever possible to the pollution causing the climate crisis. This must include aviation, which is using record levels of fossil fuel and holding back climate action, even as the odds for children's futures worsen. Despite airlines polluting at higher levels and climate threats for children worsening, an aggressive campaign by vested interests has resulted in a Government commitment to disregard the harmful impacts and support lifting the Dublin Airport passenger cap. (The ‘cap’ currently allows for a colossal 32 MILLION passengers each year.)  As it is, the massive pollution from international aviation is currently not being tackled in our national climate efforts. If the cap was lifted, it would mean not only would the aviation sector continue failing to contribute to the national climate efforts kids are counting on, they'd be INCREASING their harmful pollution even more. Stand up for kids, and sign our petition to Government calling for the passenger cap at Dublin Airport to remain in place. Ireland is using more aviation fossil fuel than ever before - 1.36 billion litres in 2023 alone. Our children’s futures are being irreversibly harmed due to a failure to cut harmful global warming pollution - they face malnutrition, increased danger from more extreme weather events, and economic harm. Every fraction of a degree of global warming matters. Increasing flights via a lifting of the cap, means massive increases in fossil fuel use and pollution. Keeping the cap means responsibly protecting against even greater levels of fossil fuel pollution. Unprecedented and apparently unlawful levels of flight traffic at Dublin Airport are already reported to be causing harm. Schools and communities under flight paths have reported negative impacts on the education, sleep, well-being and home lives of children due to intolerable levels of noise pollution. All children have a fundamental right to rest, play and learn. Keeping the cap means putting communities, families and children before harmful industry expansion and pollution. Flying is the most climate-harming form of travel there is, and in Ireland we’re already flying  almost double the amount of our European neighbours. Most of this is for leisure, and very likely more money is being taken out of the country via outgoing tourism than coming in. Nor are any apparent efforts being made to limit reckless private jet use or frequent flyer incentives. We know that the more the climate crisis escalates the more harm will be done - and our kids will pay the price. We’ve seen in recent weeks, with Storm Eowyn, the horrifying damage extreme weather events cause. We urgently need every sector to do its part to help protect kids from the harms ahead. Keeping the cap means a step towards Irish aviation responsibly contributing to the essential climate action all children are counting on.  Stand up for kids, and sign our petition to Government calling for the passenger cap at Dublin Airport to remain in place - aviation must start doing its fair share for kids’ futures.

The dedicated staff who work there are asking for our support to help them keep their jobs local. The Centre supports our schools and local community. It is too valuable a resource to loose. Please sign and share my petition if you wish to give your support to my campaign. Alone I can do nothing, together we have a chance to succeed. Thank you all so much.

Here’s why you should sign: ✅ Hold Politicians Accountable – If an elected official ignores their campaign promises or fails to take action on critical issues, voters should have the power to respond before the next election. ✅ Strengthen Democracy – Other democracies like the US, Canada, and parts of Europe already allow citizens to recall politicians. Ireland should modernise its system to give people a stronger voice. ✅ Ensure Promises Are Kept – Campaigns should not be built on empty promises. If politicians know they can be recalled for inaction, they will have a stronger incentive to follow through on their commitments. ✅ Empower Citizens – Democracy doesn’t stop at the ballot box. Irish voters deserve a mechanism to ensure they are truly represented throughout a politician’s term. Signing this petition is a step toward real accountability in Irish politics. Let’s make sure our leaders work for the people—not just for re-election. Sign now to demand change!

The Need for Safer Roads and Access to Sports Facilities for TETNS Students.  As a community, we value the well-being, safety, and education of our children. The lack of access to safe sports facilities and the perilous routes students take to reach them is a pressing concern that requires immediate attention.  Every day, over 2,200 students and families use Dublin Road, Athenry Road, and Frank Stockwell Road to get to and from school. This poses a significant risk to their safety, as these roads are congested with all manner of vehicles, including cars, buses, tractors, and lorries.  The situation is particularly alarming for our children in Tuam Educate Together NS, who must walk over 3km to and from Tuam Stars GAA Club to access sports pitches. This not only puts them at risk of injury or worse but also limits their opportunities for physical activity, socialization, and team-building through sport.  Moreover, students from Junior Infants upwards are forced to cross the busy Dublin Road every week to reach the Tusla Hall for PE classes and assemblies. This is a hazardous journey that requires constant vigilance and can be a major deterrent to our children's participation in physical education and extracurricular activities.  By signing this petition, we are calling on the Minister for Education Helen McEntee and the Department of Education to provide safe access to adjacent sports facilities and pitches for TETNS students. This is not just a matter of convenience or comfort; it's a critical aspect of our children's overall well-being, education, and development.  We believe that all children have the right to:  • Safe and convenient access to sports facilities and pitches  • Adequate physical education and extracurricular activities to promote their health, wellbeing, and social skills  • A safe and healthy environment in which to grow and develop  By supporting this petition, we are advocating for a fundamental change that will benefit not just our children but the entire Tuam community. We urge you to join us in demanding safer roads, better sports facilities, and a healthier future for all of us.

Lucy Adebowale and her 5 children , Star, Greatness, Value, Prosperity and Gold are facing deportation in the near future. Their case is currently being appealed on the grounds that their lives would be in danger if returned to Nigeria where their abusive father now lives. The 3 oldest boys attend St Mary's CBS, Portlaoise, where they have proven themselves to be hardworking students and gentlemen in behaviour. Showing true community spirit they have been involved in the Student Council and the School of Sanctuary Committee. This is a family that finally had some sense of peace and safety in our community only to find themselves under threat again. Lucy is doing everything in her power to protect her family, but she needs support. The Adebowale family are part of our CBS community, our CBS family, so let us give her that support.

Adolescents, more than adults, are in their crucial developmental stage. They stand to gain even more from the physical, mental, and environmental advantages offered by the bike-to-school initiative. This is a unique opportunity to facilitate healthier lifestyles and contribute to our fight against climate change, particularly when biking facilities are underused during school hours.