AQW 15812/22-27

Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley

Tabled Date: 26/09/2024
Answered On Date: 11/10/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail the amount of funding provided to schools to facilitate and enable Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools to date.

Answer:

Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools (SPiMS) emerged in 2020 in response to the unprecedented increase in demand for specialist education. However, legacy ‘learning support’ classes have existed for many years. SPiMS are, and have always been, part of the continuum of special education provision for children and young people.

The Education Authority (EA) does not provide funding to schools to facilitate SPiMS, rather they are funded directly via the EA’s central budget. The total EA expenditure on the establishment and operation of SPiMS from 2020/21 (including projected expenditure for 2024/25) is £221.5m.

This does not include expenditure by Voluntary Grammar/Grant Maintained Integrated schools.