Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 December 2022
362. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education the actions that she will take to ensure that all children who need access to the in-school July provision programme in 2023 can access it; the number of children at primary and post-primary level who need access to in-school July provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61910/22]
View answerThe 2022 Summer Programme built on the success of the expanded 2021 Summer Programme. Over 1,000 schools ran a programme this year with over 41,000 pupils benefiting from both school based and home-based programmes in 2022.
For 2023, additional funding has been secured in Budget 2023 to run the programme to match the investment in 2021 and 2022 bringing the total funding available to €40m.
This will allow schools the certainty they require to let them plan for a summer programme in their school next year. In recent years my Department has made a range of additional resources and supports available to schools to encourage participation in this essential programme and it hoped that the early announcement of funding in Budget 2023 means that schools will commit to running a programme next year.
My Department is currently undertaking a review of the 2022 programme with a view to improving it for next year and with a committed focus on increasing the number of schools participating, particularly special schools. This review process has already started to engage with the management bodies, schools, parents with a view to encouraging schools and supporting them to participate in next year’s programme.
It must be noted that while it is important to support a summer based programme in our special schools and special classes, it is also essential to ensure that the children with complex special educational needs (SEN) who are in our mainstream settings also have access to this critical support. As our system has become more inclusive and many of these children with more complex needs now attend mainstream settings, it is recognised that they too will be impacted by school holidays and require that additional support to ensure that they achieve their potential.
Following the review of this year's programme and finalisation of planning for next year, the details of the 2023 Summer Programme will be published at the earliest possible opportunity.
