Mercy Secondary School Waterford officially unveils special needs classroom and biodiversity garden
Mayor of Waterford City & County Cllr Seamus Ryan cuts the ribbon for Our Lady of Mercy's greenhouse. All Photos: Joe Evans
“When we adapt our environment to the student, rather than forcing the student to adapt to an environment, everyone wins,” says Mary Meade, principal of Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School in Waterford city.
She’s speaking at what’s a poignant moment for those involved with the Mercy, as the school officially unveiled its autism-friendly classroom and a host of other supports for children with additional needs on Thursday, May 7.
Alongside the autism-friendly class, there is now a revamped sensory room and greenhouse.
The sensory room was fully funded by Waterford Lions Club and the family of Dr Kevin Hickey, while the autism-friendly class was funded by the Department of Education.
The greenhouse was a hybrid effort - supported by the Lions Club, Department of Education, Trees for Waterford, and other local companies.
Leveraging support from the Department was always going to be an uphill task.
In February, the spoke to SNAs who protested now-scrapped SNA re-allocations.
Issues persist with extensive numbers of children waiting for assessment of needs, and schools continue to speak out about a lack of support for students with additional needs.
“We fought very hard to get the seven (SNAS) that we have now,” says Niamh Owens, the Special Education Needs Coordinator for the Mercy.
“It's almost like you have to prove that you have the need, and I think that's what's so frustrating and upsetting.
“We clearly have needs here, but we have to go through interviews and fill out multiple forms just to prove it.”
Ms Meade suggested that the way special needs assessments are carried out made it more difficult for an all-girls school.
“I think the assessments that are done seem to recognise autism more easily in boys,” she said.
“The way the assessments are structured perhaps, and maybe the girls were masking their difficulties more easily for longer.
“Maybe they might have managed in first year here. But then as they went through first year, things suddenly got too much for them.
“And whether they can regulate, whether they can manage, there's too much noise or whatever, and they just need more time to manage themselves then, to regulate.”
Now that the supports are here, Ms Meade said the students have had the opportunity to “flourish”.
Students have grown accustomed to the greenhouse, which is basking in the sun when the visits.
Students tell the paper about how they use the greenhouse in their downtime at school. They’ve successfully nurtured potatoes and parsnips to harvest, and are working on a range of other fruits, flora and vegetables, from sweet peas to borage.
Tony Lee of Waterford Lions Club said the Mercy is one of three schools the club has supported. They’re targeting another three that have been identified and costed.
“There's never enough money to cover all the medical needs or educational needs, and there’ll always be gaps,” Mr Lee says.
Based on surveys and work carried out by the Lions Club, he estimates around 10% of all children have some additional need.
They may not strictly be diagnosed with autism and ADHD, but could struggle with anxiety or emotional regulation.
The work of the Lions Club is sponsored by Eirgen Pharma.
“I think for Eirgen, the big piece for them is we're a Waterford-based company,” says Eirgen’s Maeve Breathnach.
“We're 21 years in business now…we haven't ever forgotten where we come from.
“We were small, and we've been growing in recent years, (but) despite how rapidly the company has grown, I think what's always stayed true is that community connection.”
Like many attending the unveiling, Ms Breathnach is a former student of the Mercy. What rang true at the launch was the extensive lineage and inter-generational hold the school has in Waterford City.
Delivering a speech, Mayor of Waterford City and County Council Seamus Ryan chuckled at how his mother, wife, aunts and seven sisters had all attended the school.
Things have changed exponentially since its foundation in 1965 by the Sisters of Mercy. Now, students have learned to embrace new ways of learning.
“The girls, they're so respectful of the (sensory room) that even the noise level outside the room turns down when they know that any of the girls are inside,” says Tania O’Sullivan, the Mercy Home School Community Liaison.
“It's been so comforting to see how inclusive and engaging the kids are, one particular student in second year works a lot with our students in the autism class, through the horticulture and stuff,” says Ms Owens.
“Yes, we're an inner-city school. Yes, we have lots of demographics, 38 different languages spoken, lots of different cultures, but we're all the same.”
