Debate contribution: Summer Schemes in Special Schools: Cancellation

Debate contribution by Mr Peter Martin on 31 March 2026.

MLA

Mr Peter Martin

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

31 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Summer Schemes in Special Schools: Cancellation

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5471113

Read the official Assembly record

Text

First and most important, I acknowledge the worry, stress and disruption that the initial cancellation of summer schemes caused parents of children with special educational needs in Northern Ireland. I know — other Members have reflected on this — that many parents and families view summer schemes as critical respite at a time of year when it is very much needed. I have visited some of the schemes and witnessed at first hand the social interaction that the children enjoy, their personal development and the sheer fun that they have at the schemes. The sudden prospect, when the initial announcement came out, of losing that support was, understandably, overwhelming for many of the parents. I publicly acknowledge that today. Let me say this plainly: the uncertainty and distress that many families experienced should not have happened. However, we cannot change the past, and I will come back to that. For the reasons that I have outlined, we have accepted the first half of the Alliance motion. We have no doubt in our minds that the temporary cancellation had a devastating effect, and there is no point in debating that fact in the Chamber today. It will be helpful to outline the facts that led to the decision, some of which Members have commented on. Initially, the EA highlighted the fact that the level of risk associated with running SEN summer schemes related to the safety of pupils and that that was a significant concern.

We also know that the complexity of special educational needs has changed over the past number of years and that the number of children who attend such schools has risen significantly. It is acknowledged that many of the children who would be attending the summer schools have increasingly complex needs. The Education Authority made it clear that it was prepared to deliver the summer schemes this year provided that the Department of Health could supply the necessary clinical support. It is important to note that special schools' principals have, in the past, shown significant commitment to running schemes, but they have also flagged concerns about the current operating model for clinical cover. In November of last year, the special schools' strategic leadership group raised clear and legitimate issues concerning aspects of the 2025 schemes that needed, it felt, to be addressed. As we all know, healthcare for special schools is complex and is ultimately within the vires of the Department of Health. I am glad, as, I am sure, are many of the parents of the children affected — many of them are in the Gallery today — that the Education and Health Ministers, along with Health departmental officials, were able to quickly find a solution and to implement it to restore provision, which we have done for this year. This is all a piece of history, but I wish to look to the future and to spend a few minutes speaking about our amendment.

I thank the Member for that intervention. I agree that we have an issue with clinical provision in some of our special schools. The Minister may touch on that. That is a legitimate point. Our amendment leaves the first half of the motion intact, because that is a legitimate expression of how many parents felt about the situation. The second half of the motion basically condemns both Ministers; it does not address the ongoing problems that we have with special educational needs and how we support our most vulnerable children. The second half of the motion, which calls for the schemes to be reintroduced, is now redundant, because the schemes are now progressing. Our amendment looks at the wider issue of special educational needs. It is a stated Executive priority, and rightly so. However, the Budget for next year, proposed by DOF, places significant pressure on special educational needs, as we have reflected in the amendment. It is worth taking a moment to look at that in detail. The Sinn Féin Finance Minister's draft Budget, which this party has said is unacceptable, puts significant pressure on the Education Minister and particularly on special educational needs as we go into next year.

I will.

Clearly, I do not agree with the Member, but I would be happy to give way to him again if he would like to explain to me why the Education Minister's paper on getting additional resources for special educational needs has never made it on to the Executive's agenda. That is actually the responsibility — for anyone watching, I will explain how it works — of the First Minister and the deputy First Minister. Both Ministers have to agree. We are content to get additional resources into special educational needs, but the party opposite has not agreed to it. I will give the Member the Floor.

He has not answered the question. I am happy to give the Floor back to him if he wants to answer. It is a stated fact that this Minister has requested significant additional money for children with special education needs in Northern Ireland because he views it as a priority. It is the Members opposite who have not agreed to that paper. That request is sitting there having never been tabled. I will deal with the figures. The Department of Education's total resource pressures, based on the Minister of Finance's Budget from the Members opposite, will be about £600 million going into next year.

For anyone who is watching today, the phrase "resource pressures" is Civil Service speak for the money that a Department needs to break even but has not been allocated. Of the £600 million that the Education Minister needs, one third is money that he requires for special educational needs provision. I do not want to get into the politics of it all today; I want to look to the future and at how we underpin the entire support network for SEN, rather than deal specifically with one issue. Therefore, whilst the current difficulties with summer schemes are sorted out for this year, we need a coordinated effort to sort out the budget, not only for next year but to deal with future difficulties going forward.

I am sorry, I do not have time. I apologise to the Member. This party is committed to that objective. The Education Minister has asked for additional funding so that he can underpin the support that is required for SEN. Other parties will have to answer for themselves on their commitment to that objective. I echo the comments of my colleague and good friend Cheryl Brownlee, who sits on these Benches with me today. Cheryl has a child with special educational needs, and she said publicly that the summer schemes are not a luxury but a lifeline, and I wholly agree with that sentiment. We cannot change the past week for the parents of children who have special educational needs and need summer scheme provision, but I am glad that it has been restored. However, the Chamber should also be looking at what we do in the future to ensure that our most vulnerable are protected. The Minister is also wholly committed to ensuring that. He needs the money to do so, but it is up to others in the Chamber to stand with him and agree on allocating the money to ensure the future for those kids. As I considered the future of special educational needs provision in Northern Ireland and thought about coming to the Chamber today, I remembered a quote by CS Lewis, who said:

"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."

That is a fitting challenge for every person in the Chamber today. I encourage Members to support our amendment.

1,293 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:16 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification