Debate contribution: Summer Schemes in Special Schools: Cancellation

Debate contribution by Mr Nick Mathison on 31 March 2026.

MLA

Mr Nick Mathison

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

31 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Summer Schemes in Special Schools: Cancellation

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5471223

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Absolutely. I concur with the Member. School principals across Northern Ireland have consistently raised with me their concern that we should not be operating a postcode lottery whereby some trusts provide nurses and others do not. That is an unacceptable state of affairs. By extension, if there are concerns around the safety of provision in our special schools during term time, it is clear that those concerns and safety issues will be heightened when it comes to summer schemes taking place outside normal operating arrangements. The Health Minister and Education Minister know all that. The Education Minister made his first statement on the summer schemes and, specifically, the 2026 summer scheme, on 27 March, and it was very clear. He stated:

"I recently met with the Health Minister, alongside school principals, to set out clearly that nursing provision is essential not only for summer schemes but across the full school year."

Both Ministers have confirmed that they were at that meeting. It is clear that they understood that nursing provision was essential in order for those schemes to go forward, yet — this is what I cannot understand — they both stood by and allowed the decision to be made to cancel the schemes. I cannot accept that they were unaware that that decision was about to be made on Wednesday last week. Does the Education Minister really expect us to believe that he takes an approach where he sits back and lets the arm's-length body make a decision that he does not consent to, agree with or believe that he has scope and capacity in his role as Minister to change? That appears to be what we are being asked to believe. Not only does that stretch credulity to the limit but it feels unforgivably insensitive to the impact on parents. If all that it took to resolve the matter was for the two Ministers to take a few hours on a Friday, give it a bit of attention and maybe nudge the arm's-length body or the trusts in the right direction, what on earth had they been doing in the previous months? We knew that those issues were brewing. Members are right: we knew that they were brewing. It had been raised at the Education Committee that the relevant director in the EA had highlighted nursing provision from the minute that he took up post as one of his priority actions to resolve, because he was so concerned about the issues. As far as I can tell, the EA has been desperately trying to get engagement with the Health Department on those issues but it was not forthcoming, and both Ministers appear to have taken a back seat. As far as I can tell and as has been mentioned already, the Children's Services Co-operation Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 should have kicked those two Ministers into action the moment that the fact that the schemes were at risk came on to their radar. Their decision not to intervene earlier is a failure of leadership, and parents, many of whom are here today, feel profoundly let down as a result. Today, we really need answers. The Education Minister will make the formal response to the debate. I welcome his presence in the Chamber, and I hope that he will sincerely and graciously address the concerns of parents who are watching closely. I have a number of questions that I hope he can answer without deflection. I hope that we can avoid playing politics with the issue, because parents are listening and seeking answers and clarity. That needs to be every Member's focus in the Chamber. It is not about who wins. Nobody wins today. We need our children with special educational needs and their parents to win. My first question is this: if the issue was resolved over the course of a few hours on a Friday — I genuinely want to understand this, and parents are asking me this — why did the Education Minister and Health Minister let things go not just to the brink but right over it to the point of cancellation, throwing parents into complete panic, before they acted to resolve the situation? I genuinely seek clarity on that point. It has been raised by other Members, and it is crucial that we get an answer on the record, because confidence among parents is at such a low ebb right now.

I will give way very briefly.

Absolutely. Both the Education Minister and the Health Minister have huge transformation agendas in their in trays. It is vital that we bring the public with us with confidence on those issues. My next question is this: what will provision look like this year? I ask the Minister to address whether he has received assurances from his EA colleagues that those schemes can and will be delivered safely this year, not just when it comes to nursing provision but the whole provision. It is essential that we get clarity on that point, because parents are genuinely concerned. Has he received those direct assurances from his EA colleagues about the safety of the schemes in 2026? Finally, I hope that both Ministers will commit, under the provisions of the Children's Services Co-operation Act, to working in genuine partnership. I hope that we hear from the Education Minister today that he will ensure that, by working with the Health Department, we see a long-term, sustainable model to deliver those summer schemes, that we get safe medical provision in our special schools and that solutions will be delivered in that space. I hope that we get the answers that parents are asking for.

942 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.

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