Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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The purpose of the Special Education Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement and provision is made for early educational intervention for children with autism.

Where there is no Early Intervention class placement available, my Department will consider applications under the Home Tuition Grant Scheme, where a child can receive up to 20 hours home tuition per week as an interim measure until a placement becomes available.

Children who receive tuition under the Department’s Home Tuition Grant Scheme typically receive this tuition in their home on an individual basis.

The scheme also provides parents with an option to enter into a group arrangement with other parents of children for whom home tuition has been approved. Parents wishing to enter into such an arrangement must notify my Department in advance for approval and providers selected by these parents must comply with additional terms and conditions which reflect the general provision of the scheme. and which apply equally to all such providers.  

To date, no application for home tuition, for the child referred to by the Deputy, has been received by my Department.