Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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458. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a July provision programme for children with special educational needs will proceed during summer 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7119/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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A significantly expanded Summer Programme was provided in 2020 for children with the complex needs as a discrete response to Covid-19. The programme included a number of strands and options from which parents could choose, involving either in-school, or home-based supports by teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) to help to prevent regression among children with SEN.

The programmes aim was to support children to reintegrate/transition into their planned education setting for the 2020/21 school year with their peers.

Over 14,000 children participated in the special education summer programmes developed by the Department including 3,881 in the school based programme, 9,716 in the home based programme and 450 families in the HSE programme.

My Department is working on developing proposals for Summer Provision 2021 which will be influenced by the current public health emergency.

These proposals will be developed based on continuous engagement and consultation with the education partners, including Parent and Disability groups.

I will make an announcement on this in due course.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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459. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the arrangements for the return of children with special educational needs to mainstream schools, including proposed special staffing arrangements and additional resources; the planned phasing arrangements; the proposed dates and timelines for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7120/21]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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460. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the date for the reopening of special schools and the planned phasing of that reopening; the special staffing arrangements for same; the additional resources she plans to provide to these schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7122/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 459 and 460 together.

My Department is very conscious of the particular strain that school closures place on children with complex special educational needs and their families.

While most children reportedly adapted reasonably well to remote learning, there is a developing body of evidence which indicated that the absence of school and other supports had a disproportionately negative impact on the lives and wellbeing of children with the most complex special educational needs and their families.

It is for these reasons that my Department has prioritised the reopening of schools and classes for children with the most complex special educational needs.

Throughout January of this year, there has been engagements with education stakeholders on a near-daily basis. All of those meetings were focused on the safe reopening of schools. Recently, the engagements were particularly focused on the more specific question of a limited reopening of in-school provision for children with special educational needs.

Following intensive engagement and input from primary and special education partners, a framework has now been developed and agreed with all partners, including unions and management, in order to achieve a phased return to in-school provision for children with the most complex special educational needs.

Under the framework the following phased return to in-school provision has been agreed:

Phase 1: Special schools will reopen from Thursday 11th February 2021. In accordance with this agreement pupils will attend on a 50 per cent basis to allow for attendance of reduced numbers within the school setting. This will be reviewed in line with public health advice.

Phase 2: Primary Special Classes will reopen from Monday 22nd February 2021. These pupils may attend on a fulltime basis.

Guidance documents have issued to schools in advance of this reopening, including updated public health guidance and a framework document which outlines temporary time-bound staffing arrangements, the application of substitution arrangements, time-bound temporary arrangements for pupil attendance, information on school transport options and other matters.

I can also confirm that funding is in place to support implementation of all infection prevention control (IPC) measures required by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) including the provision of appropriate PPE for SNAs and Special Education Teaching staff. Any school who needs additional funding for PPE can get in touch with the Department.