Minister for Education Mary Hanafin is expected to criticise the admission policies of some schools in a key address to school managers today.
The Minister will tell the conference that all schools - including fee-paying schools - should accept their responsibilities to students with special educational needs.
The debate on admission policies has intensified since an Irish Times survey earlier this year indicated that provision for special needs students in Dublin was largely concentrated in disadvantaged areas. Some fee-paying schools surveyed had virtually no special needs provision.
Last week, delegates to the teachers union conferences also expressed concern about how some schools were "cherry-picking" the "best" students and refusing to enrol those with educational needs.
But last night, Paul Meany, president of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), which manages some 385 Catholic voluntary schools, defended their record.
"Voluntary religious schools have always been amongst the leaders in providing education for students with special needs, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and for students from abroad," he said.
He asked commentators to take a more balanced view of what is meant by an "inclusive school". Mr Meany, principal of the non fee-paying Marian College in Dublin, said the voluntary secondary sector "is clear in welcoming all students and the sector has endorsed the philosophy of the inclusivity and mainstreaming of students with special needs".
He said the ideal Catholic school was one which was representative of the whole community, and which provided opportunities for excellence for all of its students - irrespective of background or means. However, he said society must provide the tools and the resources for schools to effectively cater for students with special needs.
"Supports required include significant improvements in the teaching and other support services given to the schools, a huge improvement in the service available from the National Educational Psychological Service, the provision of quality in-service for staff, and new partnerships with the professionals in the health service."
He said placing large numbers of special needs students into schools that were unable to meet their needs was "not just unfair to the students concerned, it is also unfair to the teachers who are left teaching classes of up to 30 students which include a number of students who warrant special attention and support."
Mr Meany made the comments in his address to the annual conference of the JMB and the Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools, which represents the boards of management of voluntary second-level Catholic schools.
He made a strong case for the development of a middle-management structure in schools. The JMB expressed concern about the backing of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland for a promotion system linked to seniority rather than merit.
