Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 June 2023
105. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 85 of 16 May 2023, her plans to publish her Department’s review of the summer programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31566/23]
View answerRef No: 31566/23
The Inspectorate report, ‘Summer Programme 2022: Perspectives of children and young people, their parents and programme managers’ was published on my Department’s website in April 2023.
The report is based on visits conducted by the Inspectorate to a sample of the primary, post-primary and special schools that provided the summer programme. During their visits, the inspectors observed the various activities that were taking place, spoke with programme managers, engaged in a group discussion with the children and young people who participated in the programme and invited parents to complete an online survey.
The published report identified many positive impacts of the summer programme and some areas for improvement.
A key positive finding was the extent to which children and young people experienced success in the programme through engaging in a broad range of enjoyable, activity-based tasks which were designed to enhance learning in literacy, numeracy and other subjects.
The report also commented positively on the friendships that were formed during the summer programme and on the extent to which these friendships sustained into the new school year; this had important benefits in key areas such as wellbeing and on successful transition within and between schools.
Findings from the parents’ survey showed the importance of the programme for those children with the most complex needs. Some parents reported how the programme provided the only opportunity for their children to participate in activities outside of their home during the summer period.
Inspectors noted that most schools had informal procedures in place for integrating participants’ learning during the summer programme into school planning for the 2022/23 school year. The report includes a few examples of very good practice in this area, such as schools using their digital platform to record progress and inform planning.
Some organisational issues were raised in the report. These included the timing and duration of the programme and the possibility of greater flexibility in relation to starting and finishing times.
The recommendations in the report included:
• Capitalising on the opportunities the summer programme provides schools to promote the wellbeing of children and young people,
• Highlighting the potential of the summer programme to promote successful transitions within, between and across learning settings to school managers and to parents.
• Addressing the organisational matters highlighted in the report for summer programme 2023 which include
• supporting schools regarding the possibilities of recruiting staff for the summer programme from colleges of further and higher education
• exploring flexibilities around the timing and duration of the programme.
Summer programme 2023 commenced in post-primary schools in June 2023 and will shortly commence in primary and special schools. I am delighted to note a significant increase in the number of schools offering the summer programme in 2023, with over 1,200 schools now offering the programme. I am particularly pleased to note that over sixty percent of special schools are offering the programme this summer; this represents a fifty-per cent increase on last year’s number.
The Department of Education Inspectorate has commenced evaluations of the summer programme 2023 in post-primary schools and will commence evaluations in primary schools in July. A report arising from these evaluations will be published in 2024.
