Ms Lorraine Dempsey:

What ran this summer was not actually the July provision scheme but was called a summer programme. This was because the July provision scheme involves adherence to a separate set of restrictive criteria. Thousands of children who would not normally qualify for July provision finally got the opportunity of an extended school year this summer. In interactions with the Department and the Minister, we will be looking for that broader model of support for children with all types of disabilities to be extended to the summer of 2021. It would not only apply to the extended school year for post-primary students. It would be appropriate to have that educational input but there is also a need for social and psychological supports and the ability to provide students with a programme that is educational, social and sporting over the summer period whereby students are not just restricted to having access to a teacher but also to an SNA where that is more appropriate. We should aim to give parents that choice again. As Mr. O'Connor said, silence suggests success. The easing back into school has been a substantial success for those children who availed of the summer programme because they had already seen what their schools look like, the staff involved and the layout of the classrooms. They were afforded that familiarity because they got in the door much earlier than others.

We were always looking for an extension of the July provision scheme but what we saw was a summer programme, albeit that it had issues around communication at the beginning, and it certainly is the way forward. That is what we will look to do for summer 2021.