I propose to take Questions Nos. 490, 491 and 507 together.
The purpose of the July Provision Scheme was to provide an extended school year for children with a severe or profound general learning disability or children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
The scheme was developed to reduce potential regression in learning associated with these specific categories of special education needs over the summer holidays. The programme was only offered in special schools and schools with special classes. Where an eligible child’s school was not offering a programme funding was provided for parents to engage a teacher to provide tuition in the child’s home.
In 2020 a significantly expanded summer programme was established as a response to COVID-19 with the eligibility criteria widened to include approximately 9,000 additional children with complex needs.
The programme aims were to ensure, in so far as possible, that these children could reintegrate/transition into their planned education setting for the next school year with their peers. As part of this expansion, the Department’s existing Literacy and Numeracy camps for DEIS Primary Band 1 schools was included in the Summer Programme and extended to all DEIS Primary schools. Furthermore, DEIS post-primary schools were given the option of running an inclusion programme for the first time.
In 2021, due to the ongoing pandemic, the government announced a further expansion to the Summer Programme. 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. For the first time, all primary schools were given the opportunity to run a 2-3 week inclusion programme, and the inclusion programme that ran in DEIS post-primary schools in 2020 was expanded to include all post-primary schools.
The information below relates to the Special Class and Special School programme and the Home-Based Summer Programme over the years 2016-2021:
|
Special Class and Special School Programme
|
2017
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
|
Number of Schools with Special Classes.
|
177
|
200
|
201
|
220
|
338
|
|
Number of Special Schools
|
42
|
41
|
31
|
35
|
39
|
|
Children with Autism
|
2,939
|
3,063
|
2,922
|
*
|
*
|
|
Children with Severe & Profound GLD
|
483
|
493
|
483
|
*
|
*
|
|
Total number of Children who participated in Special Class and Special School Programme
|
3,422
|
3,556
|
3,405
|
3,892
|
5,587
|
|
Home Based Programme
|
2017
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
|
Children with Autism
|
5,717
|
6,563
|
7,068
|
*
|
*
|
|
Severe & Profound
|
205
|
109
|
90
|
*
|
*
|
|
Total no. of children participating in Home Based July Provision
|
5,922
|
6,672
|
7,158
|
9,716
|
13,321
|
|
Total no. of children
(Home Based & Special Class and Special School Programme
|
9,344
|
10,228
|
10,563
|
13,608
|
18,908
|
*As the scheme was expanded in 2020 to become the Summer Programme, which had broader eligibility criteria, the number of children participating with ASD or a severe/profound general learning difficulty for 2020 and 2021 are included in the overall total of eligible children.
Information on the percentages of pupils who had or did not have disabilities is not available.
