Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senators for the opportunity to be here to talk about the summer programme. It has been a particular focus for me as Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion. I had the pleasure of visiting many of these summer programmes and I have seen first-hand the immeasurable difference this programme makes to children with special educational needs and those experiencing educational disadvantage.

The provision of education for children with special educational needs is an ongoing priority for this Government, and my main focus as the first ever Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion. I am determined to ensure continuous development of special education provision and policy to allow all children achieve the best possible outcomes in their lives. The summer programme is a very important scheme for pupils with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage. I want to see it supporting families and students with special educational needs during the summer months.

Before we talk about what we are going to do for next year, I want to reflect on the significant progress we have made over the last number of years. As Senators will know, until 2020, the programme was called July provision, and for many years catered for children in special schools and classes with autism. When the provision was significantly expanded, it then became known as the summer programme. Senators may recall this was just after the first school closures that occurred in 2020 due to Covid-19.

The 2020 programme provided children with an opportunity to continue or re-engage with learning at school or, indeed, at home. The eligibility criteria widened and significantly increased the number of primary-age children with complex special educational needs who were eligible for this scheme. All special schools and primary schools with special classes could provide the school-based summer provision at this time.

In 2021, the summer programme was expanded further so that mainstream schools could now provide a school-based inclusion programme. This was introduced as a further Covid-19 measure to support children with complex needs and also those students at greatest risk of educational disadvantage. For the summer programme in 2022, we matched the funding from last year of €40 million. This has helped well over 1,000 Ukrainian children integrate into their new learning environments through the inclusion programme. It built upon the 2021 programme, which introduced the first ever inclusion programme and allowed all schools to offer a summer programme to pupils in primary and post primary, whether they are mainstream or special schools.

I understand the importance of this crucial scheme for families and the children who participate in them. The summer can be a really daunting time for families of children with additional needs and for some children who do not have enough interaction with friends or peers. It is, therefore, really important that the Department engages and encourages schools to interact with the summer programme.

The Department has listened to feedback and is striving to make the scheme as good as it can be, as am I, and that it is available to every eligible student who needs it. The programme that was provided in 2022 was developed following extensive engagement with stakeholders, parents and disability advocacy groups.

The current programme aims to support pupils to maintain their connection with education, build their confidence, promote well-being and increase their motivation. For those who are at key transition stages, it helps to ensure they continue their education journey in September either in school or in further or higher education or training.

The programmes on offer last summer included the inclusions programme in primary schools, which I spoke about earlier, a special classes and special schools programme in primary schools, Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, numeracy and literacy camps, or campaí samhraidh, in DEIS primary schools and inclusive programmes for all post-primary schools. A home-based summer programme was also available for up to four weeks with ten hours per week for students with complex special educational needs where a place on a school-based programme was not available to them.

A key objective of the 2022 scheme was to increase the number of schools offering the summer programme to their students. Steps were taken to afford schools as much flexibility as possible and ease administrative requirements. To support and facilitate schools and principals with organising and running the programme, the 2022 summer programme allowed principals delegate these functions to other members of staff through the provision of support roles of overseer and preparation hours. The overseer and preparation roles provided an excellent opportunity for teachers to develop their leadership skills and experience with recognition at a whole-school level.

Again, for the 2022 programme, the Teaching Council and Irish Primary Principals Network, IPPN, promoted the summer programmes with graduate teachers, professional masters of education, student teachers and undergraduate students registered under route 5 to increase the supply of available teachers.Graduate teachers and student teachers could work on the summer programme where they had commenced their registration process with the Teaching Council and where certain conditions were fulfilled. It is important to say schools were given the flexibility to engage staff not currently employed by them, including those in the early years or youth sector, to run their summer programme. Other examples that schools have previously availed of successfully include students from therapy, nursing and other healthcare-related disciplines. Other enhanced measures have been put in place to encourage participation of schools, including a centralised application process to reduce the administrative burden on schools, the earlier payment of school staff, an additional capitation to cover the running costs of the scheme, as well as enhanced capitation for special schools and classes.

In 2022, the Department had productive engagements with the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education, NABMSE. This led to positive initiatives to assist special schools, such as through the hosting of information webinars and the introduction of a new grant for these special schools. I expect these engagements will lead to more positive measures for the 2023 programme and beyond. Participation in the programme has grown over recent years, with 2022 seeing more schools and more students participate than ever before. Final figures for this year's programme will be known later in the year, but based on the information available to date, it is anticipated that in excess of 45,000 pupils will have participated, with more than 1,000 schools running a programme. That is an increase of approximately 18% on the 2021 numbers of participating students.

This year, for the first time, schools were able to submit the details of staff who worked on their programme through an online portal. The first payments were issued in July and payments continued throughout the summer. To date, more than 9,000 staff members have been paid for their participation in the school-based programme. This represents almost all of staff who participated in the programme. Feedback on the payments system has been generally positive, and the earlier payments for staff have also been welcomed. Payments have been issued fortnightly for submitted claims since the first tranche of payments was issued in July.

Members will no doubt have seen the announcement the Minister for Education and I made about the 2023 programme. I am delighted to confirm that funding has been approved under budget 2023 to continue the expanded summer programme for 2023. I recognise the delay in announcing the summer programme in previous years meant some schools had insufficient time to prepare adequately and were not able commit to running the programme. This early announcement for 2023 affords schools every opportunity and gives them several extra months to plan for a summer programme next year. As Members will also be aware, I have asked my Department to review the programme so that for 2023, we can build further on all we have achieved so far to have the best possible programme available. I am very conscious parents want this programme to be available in more schools in 2023.

As part of the planning that has already begun for next year, it is a priority of next year's development that children in special schools have access to a school-based programme. It must be noted that while it is important to support a summer based programme in our special schools and special classes, it is also essential to ensure the children with complex special educational needs who are in our mainstream settings also have access to this critical support. As our system has become more inclusive and many of these children with more complex needs now attend mainstream settings, it is recognised that they, too, will be impacted by school holidays and require that additional support to ensure they achieve their potential.

The Department is committed, and indeed it has already started intensively, through the review process, to engage with the management bodies, schools and the sector as a whole with a view to encouraging schools and supporting them to participate in next year's programme. We want to support schools fully in terms of organisation, workforce availability, administration, resources and training to make it as successful as possible. As part of the review, the Department is engaging with stakeholders, including the Special Education Consultative Forum, to ensure voices on the ground are being heard. The Department has already met with officials from Malta to utilise some of the learnings from their system in terms of the planning and organisation, and it will be engaging directly with the National Parents Council. The inspectorate in the Department has also visited schools, including special schools, as part of that process, and it is liaising with the staff, parents and children who participated to help ensure the review takes account of the lived experience. The Department will also look at innovative ways to promote and publicise the programme for next summer to raise awareness of the scheme further and publicise the benefits of running a scheme. Alternative solutions for how schools can accommodate the summer programme will also form part of the approach to the programme in 2023. Other aspects of the planning for next year include liaising with colleagues in other Departments and agencies with a view to expanding the potential workforce to support this essential programme. Over the past two years, schools have been given the flexibility to engage staff who are not currently employed in the school, including those in the early years sector, to run their summer programme. They have also been allowed to recruit final-year students graduating in the summer. In 2022, this was further expanded to allow route 5 undergraduate student teachers to participate. It makes sense to expand the workforce as this gives each school more access and support to run a programme. For many workers in the early years sector, who work 38 weeks in the year and often are looking for work during the summer, the summer programme is a great option. I will discuss how best to promote it with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman.

Following the review of this year's programme and finalisation of planning for next year, the details of the 2023 summer programme are intended to be published by the end of January next year. I reiterate my commitment to ensuring children who need it most have access to this important educational initiative. Both I and my Department will be working hard to make sure this is achieved. I look forward to hearing statements from Members, which I am sure will be helpful to us in our endeavours.

Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State, who is here in her capacity of having responsibility for special educational needs. It is fantastic that we have this new programme. The July provision was always one of those titles that was slightly confusing and it is great to see the name change to the "summer programme". I spoke with a couple of school principals this morning to get some feedback. The timing of the announcement is extremely welcome. The late announcements around the programme in previous years were very challenging. The timing of this announcement for 2023 will allow principals and schools to plan ahead and have people in place. It is challenging when information is given at the last minute. Schools are very positive about this change.

The Minister of State mentioned in her press release this morning and in her speech that all schools will have an opportunity to run the programme. This means more than 4,000 schools, including 3,200 or so primary schools and another 770 or so post-primary schools, can get involved. All of those schools can take up the summer programme and benefit from it. We need to look at how the Department can support that. The Minister of State highlighted that, where possible, it should be a school-based programme and, where necessary, it will be provided in another shape or format. It is crucial that the programme is being offered through the schools and in a school setting. It will offer real support for students over the summer months.

It is fantastic that more than 45,000 students participated this year, as the Minister of State indicated, which amounts to 1,000 schools, or nearly a quarter of the total, running a programme. This is an increase of approximately 18% on the previous year. I hope there will be targets for next year. Will she comment on the targets she would like to see in terms of the number of schools that might complete the programme within the €40 million in funding that is being given?

The Minister of State noted there was an expanded summer programme in 2020 and she introduced the first inclusion summer programme in 2021. That allowed for the accommodation of all the children in special classes, with the programme operating in primary, post-primary and special schools. In Roscommon and Galway, which I represent, we have a number of band 1 DEIS schools. One of the only primary schools included in the expansion of DEIS is in the Ballinasloe area. There are challenges in that area around Pobal funding and issues for young families, particularly in the context of social backgrounds. I was interested to hear the DEIS programme includes numeracy and literacy camps. Supports for students at an early age are crucial, as are the supports for students from Ukraine, more than 1,000 of whom, as the Minister of State indicated, have attended some of these camps.

I would like to explore, if not today then perhaps at another time, how we can develop the home-based programme. One of the key issues for children is the transition from primary to secondary school and from secondary to third level. It is known that this can be a very stressful time for students and their families as they make the transition and get used to new students. All through the lockdowns, it was a huge issue for young children who were not able to socialise in ways that were possible before. The summer camps are crucial for enabling children to engage in a positive way and to enter school having met some buddies beforehand and understanding what school is about and what is expected of students. All of that is really helpful. I would like to hear how we can develop well-being supports within the programme to facilitate these transitions. I know it is hard to include everything within a set amount of time but supporting transition is one of the key benefits of these types of summer programmes.

Staffing can be a challenge but I am delighted to hear there will be an administrator role for preparation of the summer programme. That will be key for schools. There will also be supports in place for the teachers, special needs assistants, SNAs, and support staff who will be running the programmes. The Minister of State mentioned staff can come from different sectors. Will she give more detail on the qualifications that might be needed for these types of roles? It is great to encourage participation from other sectors, including the early years sector. I am curious as to whether there might be any role for graduates coming out of the teaching training colleges, working with experienced teachers on these summer programmes. Would such a role be confined to graduates or is there potentially a role for students during their earlier years of study?

As the Minister of State noted, one of the interesting and effective measures that has been introduced is the earlier, centralised payment for teachers and SNAs. It is probably a real challenge to encourage teachers and SNAs to come back in for two weeks after they reach the end of a packed year trying to manage students at whatever level. Are any other incentives being considered? The centralised early payment and the way schools can engage potentially from November or December in bringing people on board are important measures.

I thank the Minister of State for her work on this issue. Since she took on her role, we have seen a focus on special educational needs, but this programme is for all children. That is what is really wonderful. It is for all children and all schools. Currently, 1,000 schools are benefiting from the programme and it will be wonderful to see it being rolled out for more schools. Will she comment on her vision and targets for what this might look like?

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for being in the House for this debate. This is not my first time speaking on the issue of summer provision and I have no doubt it will not be the last. It is really important to recognise progress when it happens. Education is hugely important to people on this side of the House. Senator Malcolm Byrne and I, as spokespersons on education, really value what the summer programme can bring to the many children who need it, as well as to their families and communities.

I especially welcome the announcement by the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Foley, of a €40 million summer programme for next year. This is a timely intervention that gives schools an opportunity to prepare in earnest. Once again, all schools will have the opportunity to run a programme for those children who need it the most. It will allow us to support them in engaging with education in a meaningful way. The benefits of the programme far outweigh what happens in the school building. It benefits the children in the context of the community they live in and in terms of family interactions. That support is hugely important.

I acknowledge it is a priority that more children in special schools have access to a school-based programme. That is very welcome. In the past few years, it has been my experience that special schools did not want to run these programmes. I recognise that for staff in special schools, it is complex and challenging. For many, by the time the school term ends, there is a challenge in looking at running a summer programme.They are exhausted and they feel that it is very difficult to engage in teaching. That is why the new flexibility that has been introduced by bringing in teachers, graduate students and SNAs is helpful in this regard. It is hugely important that every special school has this, because these are the children who need that support most. For many parents and teachers who we speak to, when children are out of the routine that school has given them, they really do slip back. The summer period is too wide a period to not be able to continue with education.

As we know, and as the Minister of State has mentioned, over 45,000 students participated in the summer programme this year with more than 1,000 different schools running a programme. That increase of 18% is important and has to be celebrated and acknowledged. The fact that the earlier payment scheme has been implemented is important, because I know from speaking to teachers and teaching unions that that was a big issue previously in terms of how long it took for teachers and SNAs to be paid. The area of payment is important, as is the provision to recruit final-year student teachers and student teachers who are registered with the Teaching Council. It gives young students an opportunity to learn and to earn at the same time.

As I have said before, I believe we need to start down the road of universal access for children who need to avail of this provision. It is not a luxury for families that have a child with complex additional needs; it is a necessity for how they manage and deal with their child. I have previously criticised the scheme for not being extensive enough because we need to find a way of ensuring that all children with special educational needs have the option to continue attending school with school transport for the entire summer should they require it. We are on the step to developing that. I would also say that we need to move away from the opt-in and opt-out model for summer provision. It should be mandatory and the Department should be flexible with how the summer provision is implemented but in special schools in particular, it needs to be mandatory.

When we speak about providing services for special education and wider supports, we are not just talking about the four walls of the physical building. We are talking about the resources, the special education assistants and the intervention therapies that are needed. We all acknowledge that early intervention is important and that it makes such a difference in the lives of the young persons themselves of their families and of the people in their communities. Everyone needs the opportunity to fulfil their potential in as meaningful a way as possible. I also welcome the announcement of a review of the programme and that the Department of Education is engaging with relevant Departments, agencies and stakeholders in order that we can see more children participating in 2023. It is important that schools are given the support they need to be able to run a programme during the summer and that the review will also take account of administration needs, workforce expansion and training requirements, which are vital components for the schools.

Since 2021, the Government has invested in an enhanced summer programme to support students who are at risk of educational disadvantage and to help mitigate learning loss because of the Covid-19 pandemic and obviously, since the end of February last year, to support our displaced students such as the Ukrainian students. That is all valuable work and adds to the educational experience of the young people. I have been a long and genuine advocate for people who are living with disabilities and additional needs and I fundamentally believe that we should strive for a fully, truly inclusive education system, that is, one that meets all children where they are at and that coaches them to develop and reach their full potential. Every child, regardless of his or her ability or societal background needs to be catered for and nurtured in his or her local school, within his or her community and alongside his or her peers. Anything less is not acceptable. The summer provision programme the Minister of State spoke about at the outset is a crucial part of that vision. I commend the Minister of State on her work to date and thank her for her commitment to the whole school community. There is still much work to do but we are on the right way.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State is very welcome. It is good to have her in, particularly to talk about a subject as important as this. I am standing in for my colleague, Senator Warfield, and I will do my best to address some of the key topics the Minister of State has raised.

The summer programme is an opportunity to provide additional supports for children with complex special educational needs and for those who are at greatest risk of educational disadvantage. The few weeks of the summer programme in school can really help students who need that extra bit of help and it can also prevent regression in children with additional needs during the long break in the summer. Where it is available, it is a great support for parents and families as well. Indeed, some families have come to rely on this support throughout the summer. It can be a kind of respite for them during the break and can help them to cope. It is therefore important that there is consistency on how it is delivered each year.

It has to be acknowledged that progress has been made in terms of the additional funding, which is very much welcomed. In particular, I welcome the support given to the Ukrainian children, which was necessary. It is great to see it happening and it is important to acknowledge that.

The outstanding points where we express some concerns are in relation to seeing what else can be done to further improve the uptake from schools for the programme. It is still relatively low in primary, secondary and special schools, despite the fact that we know there is a huge demand out there. This aspect is worrying when you think of the risks of educational and behavioural regression for many children who need these reports. One of the feedback issues that comes to us concerns the frustration that sometimes, the guidelines are issued a little late in the year. That can sometimes be a disincentive for schools to run the programme. Perhaps that is something the Minister of State could comment on or report back on in terms of progress in that regard.

The other issue is that there are still concerns from schools about making sure they are properly equipped, both administratively and in terms of teaching resources. Additional administrative supports were provided this year, which is something Sinn Féin has been calling for some time. It has certainly helped but we probably would accept that there needs to be further upscaling in this regard. The issue of early payment was a big stumbling block and again, it is welcome to see action on that as it was a huge disincentive. As others have referenced quite correctly, sometimes teachers, in the very demanding role they have, are physically and mentally exhausted by the time the summer break comes. Of course, we have to recognise that. In that regard, the broader flexibility the Minister of State has introduced in looking to others to come in and do some of that work is welcome. In that respect, I ask again for the Government to look at the issue of payment, particularly for SNAs, which does not reflect the quality of the work they do. It is an ongoing issue and while I accept it is a broader issue, if we are looking to see how we can further incentivise some of the best people available to do that work, the issue of pay then must be acknowledged and further addressed.

As others have referenced, we are asking teachers to give up at least part of their summer and that is quite a big ask. The Department continues to need to examine all possible incentives, whether they are pay-based or other forms of incentives, to ensure the schools have enough staff. Otherwise, the uptake from schools will continue to be a challenge.

I want to touch on home-based tuition. While this is undoubtedly a preferable option for some children, there has been some feedback that home provision of the summer programme is not the right solution for everyone. This was highlighted by the National Council for Special Education, which recently made the point that home-based summer programmes are probably the least effective way to deliver the scheme. Obviously, it depends on the child and on the family situation. There are obvious practical reasons it might not be suitable for some, as some families just do not have a space for that work to take place in the home. There is also a lack of socialisation. That is why it is important that in-school summer programmes are available.When they are not, parents are advised of the option of home tuition as a solution when it is not necessarily the right, best or most optimum solution for that child. The various streams of the summer programme are a very valuable resource. I know the Minister of State and her Department are working on making it more accessible. I want to acknowledge that and say it is very welcome.

The most important thing to say, however, is that the summer programme needs to be resourced properly and consistently. Continued increased resources are very much required. Further thought also needs to be given to staffing issues to ensure what else we can do. As I said, that issue of pay, particularly for special needs assistants, SNA, is one that all of us hopefully agree needs to be addressed. Again, I acknowledge the work that has been done and very much welcome this opportunity to have a debate on the issue.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I thank Minister Gavan. I should say Senator Gavan; I nearly gave him a promotion.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I have been called worse.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State is very welcome. I also welcome Mr. Frank Hanlon from the Department. I want to compliment the Minister of State on the work she has done in her role in special education. I know from the numerous occasions we have spoken about it that this area of the summer programme is and has been a priority for the Minister of State.

I am delighted with the announcement in the press release we received this morning that will give certainty to schools in 2023. One issue that came up when we met with many of the teachers' unions and teachers' organisations at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism last week was the certainty to plan for a programme and the fact that they did not know until very late last year. I am, therefore, delighted that there is some certainty. I would like to see more details before January. We should aim or strive to have them put in place at least prior to Christmas. The reality is that at this minute, and I have seen this myself, a significant number of schools have already decided they are not doing a school-based summer programme next year. That is not acceptable.

For somewhere in the region of 80% of children, in particular those who attend special schools, a school-based programme took place in only 34 out of the 136-odd special schools in the summer of 2022. That meant those 80% of children with higher needs had no access to a programme. The home-based programme was mentioned and, to be honest, that is not an option. We have seen situations over the years where parents had to advertise online to get a tutor to take a child for July provision, as it was called, or the summer programme because there was not a school-based option for that. The reality is that the vast majority of those parents could not get a person who would take their child for the programme. That meant that child with the highest needs for whom we started the programme a number of years ago actually got no provision at all. That has to change. It is my opinion, and I have said this publicly before, that it should be mandatory for all special schools. That message needs to go out. I will get much criticism, which I got before, for saying that but it is the right thing to do. The children should be our priority and we must make sure that programme can take place.

I am also of the belief, and the Minister mentioned this in her speech, that we should expand the workforce that will be eligible to work within that programme to early childhood care and education, ECCE, workers. I would like to see speech and language and occupational therapy students in our colleges employed during the summer, giving them work experience and enabling us to give children extra services within schools. We met with HSE officials earlier today and put it to them that we should employ those students who are training, and, as has been said, children would then get a service.

At the minute, as we know, a person must have a Teaching Council number to provide the school-based provision while if he or she is home-based, that person only has to be over 18 and Garda vetted. As I said, we need a total review of the school-based programme. I appeal to every principal in every special school to put it in his or her diary for summer 2023 and to look for the staff. It is up to the Department to change the criteria on what staff are available, which I believe it will do. Every principal should put it in his or her diary, but not like it has been done in the diaries I have seen. We are 12 months out and they have already told parents there will be no provision next year. Parents and families are in despair. At a minimum, therefore, every single special school should be doing it.

We should look at a situation similar to what happened in County Kildare where students in one particular town, which I think was Naas, although I stand to be corrected, came together to make sure that at least one school in the town provided the school-based programme per year. That meant that every family within that community knew there was going to be a school-based programme. As I said, we need to prioritise it for next year, which I know the Minister of State will do, and is doing, because of the announcement that came today. I would appeal to the principals, however, in particular those in special schools, to mark in their diaries summer provision for 2023. We do not want a situation like what happened. A figure of 34 special schools out of 136 is not acceptable.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I call Senator Pauline O'Reilly of the Green Party.

Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party)
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I thank the Minister of State very much for coming in today. I very much welcome the announcement yesterday from both her and the Minister, Deputy Foley, on the €40 million funding and the review of the programme.

Many children with whom we speak are excited about summer provision. It is a key part of their year. We have two sets of people, namely, the students and the teachers. We must resolve those two issues. I know that is what the Minister of State is committed to doing. Early payment is one of the issues that will hopefully resolve this issue around recruitment for the summer provision.

I agree with much of what Senator Carrigy said, however. The Minister of State can do so much but there is also an important part to be played by leadership within schools when it comes to summer provision. This is an essential part of education; it is not an add-on. It really gives people with special needs that continuity they so desperately need and want. That is really important.

Various groups appear before the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with regard to special needs, in particular. The Minister of State has always been available to come into us as well. One thing that has stood out for me about special needs teachers is that they really want to be part of leadership within schools. When I was chair of a board of management, we had an SNA who was there as a representative from the school. Boards of management generally only have two representatives from the school. Oftentimes, that is the principal and another teacher or deputy principal. I was fortunate enough that it was a small school, so we had the principal and a special needs teacher. It was, however, really key in ensuring that voice of special needs assistants was heard within our schools. Given that we have this important Ministry now in this Government, I know that special needs assistants are seen as core to education. Indeed, one quarter, or 25%, of the education budget goes into special needs education. We have more special needs classes opening than ever before. However, it is also now time to ensure that the leadership within schools includes those who are right in the middle of the teaching of special needs education.

The other thing that was called for was that people would know a long time in advance that this summer provision was coming. This is October; we are one month into the school year and already schools are being given notice that this is happening next year. I was actually quite shocked to hear from Senator Carrigy about the number of schools that are actually providing it. I know that number is low because I get so many emails about it. It is a real difficulty in areas in which people only have one school and that school is not providing it. It is also difficult because of transport issues around some parts of rural areas to ensure people get to where they need to be.

We cannot say more than the Minister of State is now doing a review, she has addressed the issue of early payment and she has given advance notice. I am very hopeful that next summer, we will see that most children who really need it will have access to this very important provision.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte freisin roimh an Aire Stáit. As colleagues said, it is important to thank the Minister of State for her work in this area over the last few years.The major expansion of this programme is something that is positive. It is also important that we thank the teachers, SNAs and schools that take part in summer provision and that we acknowledge the contribution they make. I get Senator Carrigy's point about the difficulty of getting them but there are a lot of teachers who are willing and keen to do this and we need to recognise their work as well. I agree with Senator Carrigy that we need to look at encouraging all schools to put it in their diaries, look at what provision will be needed for 2023 and plan it out. In the majority of cases students are looked after and so on but there are always a couple of difficult cases and one does not want people to be under stress at the last minute. A campaign from the Department to inform teachers, students and schools of the importance of this programme early on would be welcome. I agree with Senator Gavan on the issue of pay for SNAs. I appreciate it is a broader question but SNAs are often well qualified, they do important work and sometimes it is not sufficiently recognised. I welcome the expansion of the programme to include Ukrainian students, which has also been positive.

I want to make a comment on the summer provision forum and the requirement in the statutory declaration that it should be witnessed by a peace commissioner, a commissioner of oaths or a practising solicitor. As a peace commissioner I have often witnessed them and most peace commissioners will not charge. Unfortunately it has been the case that some people bring them in through practising solicitors and they will charge. I was not suggesting the Minister of State was being asked to fill in the forms but it is unfair that for a fairly simple form some teachers are expected to have the signing witnessed. It may be down to communicating that they should go to a peace commissioner and he or she will not charge. It is unfair if a charge is applied by any professional for signing the statutory declaration as it is a relatively simple form.

The second and broader question is on summer provision to help students with special needs who need assistance through the system in various ways. One of my concerns is whether an examination has been done on the impact of Covid. Some of that will not necessarily manifest itself immediately on a student's academic or social development but it may start to develop later on during the student's school career. We know most students survived during Covid. They were incredibly resilient and were able to adapt to home learning and so on but for others there is anecdotal evidence that they have fallen behind. They have not been able to necessarily keep up from an academic perspective and they may not have had the home environment to sort it. It is about that longer term question of dealing with the two-year period that was taken out of a child's education and if there is a need for a specific support down the line that should be available. The summer programme may be necessary for that into the future. I do not know the extent to which empirical studies have been done by the Department but I ask that the impact of Covid on children and young people's social and academic development would be looked at because it is important that if we can do so we would step in and provide those supports. I fully get that for certain students and young people it may not fully manifest itself for a number of years down the line.

I thank the Minister of State for her commitment and work in this regard. The Government's record on this issue is something we can be proud of.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is important to acknowledge that the Minister of State initiated the summer programme, which is something that needed to be done a long time ago but now is done. I thank her for that. It is a programme that is very important and one that is evolving and improving every year.

Before I talk about the summer programme, I want to sincerely thank the Minister of State for the work she has done to make next year's leaving certificate papers digitally accessible to people with vision impairments, people who are blind and people with other print disabilities, although the Minister of State might clarify if that is the case. We were an outlier from other European countries when it came to the examination papers being digitally accessible and every excuse under the sun was used, including the confidentiality and integrity of the paper, you name it. The bottom line is that technology has moved on. One has young people doing their education through their iPads and laptops, including the likes of myself and people who have similar conditions to me, who use the iPad and can scroll the print bigger with their fingers. If I had that in my day it would have been so beneficial to me but it was not available and that is life. Technology moves on and life moves on and as technology improves it is the great equaliser for people with such physical disabilities. Next year we will see many more people with print disabilities getting the opportunity to go to third level education, simply because they will be able to read their examination papers in the format and on the equipment they are used to using and are familiar with. That is a major achievement, driven by the Minister of State and which would not have happened but for the Minister of State. I have had one-to-one meetings with the Minister of State in her office on this issue and I have also had meetings with Féach, the organisation that represents parents of blind and visually impaired children in school. The Minister of State listened, acted and delivered and that is all we can expect of her. Well done to her.

The Minister of State is delivering for the school programme as well. It is not perfect by any means but it had to start somewhere and it has started somewhere. We are in a situation where nearly 50,000 children benefit from the summer programme, which is great news. I am also delighted that the Minister of State is reviewing it because the learnings from the programme, from people participating in it and from the teachers participating in it are what will make it even better. The learnings from other countries such as Malta are also positive because if the wheel is there we do not need to reinvent it; we just need to learn from it, make sure it is well-oiled and properly resourced and make sure that it rolls on. In summer programmes there should be more of a role for parents. Parents of children with special needs are more involved in their children's education than any other parent but there is a central role that a parent can play in the summer programme because by its nature it is supposed to be more relaxed and fun. We all know that if one is having fun one will learn and there could be a role for parents, or even older siblings. I do not know how that might be factored in but it is something that is worth exploring in the engagement and review to see the best international practice.

As always, it is important that it is pointed out that there are more resources put into special needs and special education in this country than in a lot of other countries. We have 15,000 or 16,000 SNAs whereas back in the 1990s there were no SNAs. I was probably among the first generations who had the opportunity to go to integrated education but had I been going to school in the 1970s I probably would have been going to the special school for the blind. The reality is that the support I had was the visiting teacher for the visually impaired twice a year. He was a nice man and he did a good job but the teachers in both of my schools acted as the SNAs and resource teachers because they took a personal interest, along with my community, neighbours and so on. That created the opportunity for me but in modern Ireland there has to be a better structure and because of that only a tiny proportion of special needs students are going to special schools now. I would like to think that some day we will be like Italy, where 99% of all students, including those with special needs and requirements, go to mainstream education.We are well on the way. What has been achieved in the past two years in special education in this country is phenomenal and history will look back on this period. In spite of Covid-19, a war in Europe, and challenges with the cost of living, the one thing that has got more resources year on year is special education. That is something that the Minister of State and this Government can be proud of.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I thank the Senator for his contribution. He is a wonderful advocate in the House for the disability sector. I call on Senator Murphy and I am sorry to have kept him waiting.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Not at all, you are quite all right, a Chathaoirligh. We will not worry about that. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and pay tribute to all the work she has been doing in this area throughout her time in office. She and her officials are to be complimented. Like many others, I welcome the €40 million for the 2023 summer programme. As has been said, it is a priority for 2023 that more children in special schools have access to school-based programmes. As others also have mentioned, in excess of 50,000 pupils have participated in the summer programme. Up to 1,000 schools have been running a programme, and we hope this will increase year on year. As has been stated, the review of the programme is very important and the Department is engaging with stakeholders and others and looking at other countries to take everything into account, from administration to workforce expansion to training requirements to vital components with the schools. Like Senator Carrigy and others, I would like to see more schools taking up these programmes. That is very important and I believe it will happen. The review will sort out a lot of issues and concerns that may exist.

I remember highlighting an issue in the House more than a year ago that I contacted one national school that was getting some support for special needs and I was clearly told they did not want it, which I thought was shocking at the time, and that the school did not want any publicity about it. The support was needed in that locality. That is the sort of thing that should not be happening. I know at the time we were all shocked but it is to be hoped that type of attitude will go and the review will allow teachers and others to look at possible areas of concern or difficulty and iron those out. As others have said, this type of programme is so important for students and to give everybody a chance.

The continuation of the enhanced summer provision programme for 2022 was a response measure due to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on education. Prior to last year's expansion, summer programmes were only available to specialist schools and pupils in special classes in primary and DEIS schools. It is important we look at the key strands of the programme, which are numeracy and literacy camps in DEIS primary schools; the school based summer programme in primary schools with special classes and in special schools; home-based provisions for children with complex needs where no school-based programme is available; and the opportunity for all primary DEIS and non-DEIS schools to provide a two week summer programme for mainstream pupils with complex needs and those at greater risk of educational disadvantage.

There are people who cannot adapt to education as it is. That was probably not recognised for a long time, but with all of this happening now, we recognise it now. It is very important, whatever road we go down, that everybody gets the advantage of education. Education is very advantageous, but sometimes some people cannot adapt to the systems that are in place. The inclusion programme for primary and post-primary schools remains for 2023, and DEIS numeracy and literacy camps will continue to be available at all DEIS primary schools. Regardless of whether we are politicians, parents and teachers, we have a responsibility for the young people coming up and we must give them every opportunity we can. With what the Minister of State is doing here and the money coming again this year to prepare for 2023, we will have more people coming on stream and more young people availing of different opportunities of education. That is what we need to do because if we do not do that for the future generations, we will not have served our country well.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I will address the Senators who are in the House as opposed to going through the contributions from the other Senators. Senator Murphy raised some of the points already raised by other Senators.

For Senator Dolan's information, there were 45 different summer schools in Galway looking after 726 children. In Roscommon, there were 11 looking after 249 children. We would love to see that number increased next year as well. The Senator mentioned targets. We have a large number of students who do home-based summer programmes and the target is to move these students to a school-based scheme. The Senator also asked about my vision and it is a very simple one. We want all children who need the programme to have access to a school-based programme. That is critical. On staffing, we have been engaging with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to see if we can engage students from other disciplines as well as students we have already opened it up to. That could be beneficial for everyone taking part - for the student, the school and the children. The bottom line from what all Senators said today is that we all want the same thing. The Department, the Minister, Deputy Foley, and I all want the same thing. It is just to make sure we deliver it.

The review that was mentioned is critical. It is the first time we have done a review and it gives us an opportunity to listen to every single person who is involved in special education - parents in particular but the voices of the children, the special education consultative forum and really everybody. If there is something we are missing, we can try to change that and make sure we address it so we can get more participation into the future.

It is interesting the Senators who are here, such as Senators Carrigy and Murphy, are all advocates for special needs, as has been mentioned. It is no accident that the people speaking here today are people who are particularly and genuinely interested in this topic. I know some of the other Senators have left the Chamber but they are all interested.

I thank Senator Carrigy for his acknowledgement of the early announcement. It has been an extremely good thing and a very positive development. As the Senator said, schools can plan now and they have more certainty as to the funding. I looked back on last year and we did not announce it until the beginning of May. Having the announcement in October makes a radical difference. I take the Senator's point about the details being provided in January, and if there is information that is needed, we can make it known earlier. That would be a good thing to do.

The Senator mentioned an important point which comes up on occasion about making school-based programmes mandatory. Another Senator mentioned this as well, possibly Senator O'Loughlin. The difficulty with that is the length of the school year is already set. The terms and conditions are set and you cannot unilaterally or arbitrarily change that. That would take much wider discussions across the school community. I remember talking about it before and the primary schools have 183 days and the post-primary schools have 167 days, so we cannot just change that. One of the things we did do was to offer double pay for them to extend the school year via the summer programme as an incentive to give them that assistance. As the Senator knows, there is flexibility now and schools do not have to do it in July, it can be August or whenever. I wanted to address that with the Senator. He also mentioned occupational therapy or speech and language therapy students, and they would be very welcome to participate in the summer programme. Some nurses can as well and they would be welcome, as would other students from healthcare backgrounds. All of these things are being worked on and it is important to stress that.

I thank Senator Conway for his words and he is a great advocate for this area. He mentioned older siblings and a parental role in the summer provision, and I think that is good. Senator Carrigy mentioned the innovation done in Kildare with different schools so that at least one of them was providing this.Again, these sort of models and pilots can be initiated. Why should older siblings and parents not have a role as well if it is something that they want? We engage with the National Parents Council, which sits on the Special Education Consultative Forum, and others to make sure that we do everything we can.

Suffice to say, I very much welcome all of the Senators' comments. In response to Senator Carrigy's point, there were 15 schemes in County Longford this summer, benefiting 467 children, and 19 in County Westmeath, benefiting 230 children. I do not have the figures here for Senators Conway or Murphy , but I can get them to them.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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No worries.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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We have all of that data. There was an 18% increase in participation from last year. As was mentioned, there were 1,000 schools involved in the programme, up from 945 last year. That is one in four schools, but it is still not enough. I was talking on the radio earlier and a school principal from County Carlow phoned in. He said that schools should not be shamed into providing the summer programme. It is certainly not my intention to shame any school. Nor should the Department be shaming any school, and it does not. It is actually about trying to encourage them. It is about trying to address all of the feedback that we are getting from them as to why they are not providing it. The main reason, from what we all can glean, is the fact that understandably, the teachers are exhausted by the end of they year, especially after Covid. Senator Malcolm Byrne asked about that and about the risk of regression. The Department inspectorate's report mentioned that the regression will continue for a period of time. The teachers and the SNAs are exhausted too. That is understandable. There was also fear of a lack of oversight by bringing in external staff. Now that the programme has been announced earlier, it allows schools time not just to recruit staff early, but to allow the staff into the school so that they can assimilate themselves, get used to the environment and get to know the children better. We hope that will alleviate those fears. There were also some concerns around pay and not being paid on time. We have dealt with that. There is an online portal now. Some 9,000 staff have already been paid from the school-based programme. The staff from the home-based programme will be paid by the end of this week. There is a lot of good stuff being done. We have appointed an overseer role and introduced preparation hours. We are trying to take away the administrative burden for the schools. It is not a question of telling schools that we do not want to leave them with any excuse not to do it; it is one of asking them why would they not do it when we are giving them all of these supports. That is what we are really trying to do. The teachers tell me themselves that they see the benefits when the children come back in September. They have had that continuity of education from the time they left. It has increased their well-being and promoted their positivity in the summer programme. I thank the Senators for their contributions today. I will bring them forward with me, and I will take them to the Minister.