Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 31 March 2022
268. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Education when applications for the July provision programme will open; if she will provide details of the application process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17176/22]
View answerMy Department ran an expanded summer education programme for Summer 2021, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under this expansion, students with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage had access to an enhanced summer programme of education. The total funding available to provide the programme was €40 million, which was a one hundred per cent increase on the allocation for summer provision in 2020.
The programme’s aims were to support pupils to re-engage with education, to build their confidence and increase their motivation, promote wellbeing and for some who are at key transition stages, help to ensure they could move on to their planned educational placement for the start of the next school year along with their peers.
For the first time ever, all schools (primary and-post primary) were encouraged to provide summer programmes and the eligibility criteria was extended to include post-primary children with complex needs and children at risk of educational disadvantage. Prior to this expansion, summer programmes were only available to special schools and pupils in special classes in primary schools and in DEIS schools. Overall, 37,977 pupils participated in the 2021 summer programme across both home and school-based elements, which represented an increase of 65% on participation in the 2020 programme.
The aim for 2022 is to make the programmes as accessible as possible, particularly to continue to attract more schools to run the school-based programme, but also to make the overall experience simpler for parents, teachers and schools.
In this regard, planning for the 2022 Summer Programme is ongoing. As part of that process my Department is currently holding consultation meetings with the education partners. Details of the programme will be finalised as soon as possible after these meetings have concluded and will be communicated to all schools, as well as published on www.gov.ie
