Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 September 2021
538. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education the status of reform of the summer provision; the status of an issue raised in relation to a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42140/21]
View answerThe purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school.
Home tuition is not an alternative to a school placement and is provided in very limited and specific circumstances. By its nature, it is intended to be a short term intervention.
The scheme provides a compensatory educational service for
- Children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement in a recognised school
- Students, enrolled in schools, with significant medical conditions which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school
- The scheme also provides Home Tuition for pre-school/early educational intervention for children with autism who meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria.
Where a child is attending an early intervention or private pre-school setting, the home tuition hours allocated will be the difference between the hours approved in the pre-school or early intervention setting and the maximum home tuition hours for which the child would normally be eligible under the terms of this scheme.
Under the Scheme, in certain cases and where appropriate having regard to the criteria, the Home Tuition Grant may be extended until the end of July.
As tuition takes place outside the usual school structure it is important that home tutors are qualified to provide an educational programme. Accordingly, it is a condition of the scheme that parents/legal guardians recruit a tutor who is qualified in the sector in which tuition is being provided, and is registered with the Teaching Council for the duration of the approved tuition, up to and including issue of final payment.
Where all efforts have failed to secure the services of a teacher qualified to teach in the sector concerned, the Department may consider the engagement of a person who is registered with the Teaching Council and has a primary degree (minimum Level 7 on the National Framework of Qualifications) in a relevant area, e.g. Psychology.
In line with policy advice received from the NCSE, a review of the July Provision programme was commenced in 2019. This review process was paused due to the impact of COVID-19, during which the summer education programme was significantly enhanced and expanded to take into account the effect of school closures over 2020 and 2021. The review of the programme will recommence at the earliest possible stage.
