All special schools must provide the Summer Education Programme to support children in need – Carrigy

All special schools must provide the Summer Education Programme to support children most in need as per the Government’s plan, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Longford Senator Micheál Carrigy was speaking after a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism, which met with Minister for Special Needs Josepha Madigan, who recently announced an expanded Summer Education Programme for 2022.

Senator Carrigy said, “It has become clear that the Summer Education Programme is not being provided in all special schools across the country. This is a matter of serious concern for children and parents.

“Minister Madigan has said she believes that all schools should offer a Summer Programme to support children with Special Educational Needs during the summer. I know the Department is doing all they can to support schools to introduce the programme but schools need to step up to the plate here as well.

“This important programme is for children with complex special educational needs and those at  risk of educational disadvantage. Parents are struggling to get SNAs to deliver home provision and the Summer Education Programme is a hugely important part of the educational programme for students with additional needs.

“My colleague Minister Josepha Madigan recently announced an expanded programme for 2022. There is sufficient funding for the programme to support over 48,000 students across the country. However, special schools must be encouraged to take up the funding and deliver the service.

“Government is trying to make this as easy as possible for schools. Steps have been taken to afford schools as much flexibility as possible, and to ease administrative requirements. This year, there is provision to recruit newly qualified teachers graduating this summer, as well as undergraduate student teachers who have registered with the Teaching Council under Route 5.

“To support and facilitate schools and principals with organising and running the programme, principals can delegate these functions to other members of staff through the Overseer role and preparation hours. Furthermore, schools can employ teachers and/or SNAs from outside of their school if the staff normally employed by the school are not available for any/all of the summer programme.

“I am suggesting that qualified staff from the ECCE childcare scheme could be offered roles in the Summer Education Programme and I have raised this matter with my colleague the Minister for Special Education, Josepha Madigan. I believe we also need to look at creating clusters among mainstream schools to make sure that no geographical area is without the summer provision in a school setting.

“Every special school must be encouraged to provide the Summer Education Programme”, Senator Carrigy concluded.