AQW 19366/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 05/12/2024
Answered On Date: 11/12/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 17942/22-27, how he will assess the effectiveness of the investment in Specialist Provisions in Mainstream Schools when the money provided to establish them is not earmarked to be used specifically in the Specialist Provision.

Answer:

Schools are best placed to decide how the funding provided to them in establishing a specialist provision class is spent to meet the needs of their pupils.

In terms of effectiveness of Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools (SPiMS), as detailed in AQW 18619/22-27, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) has prioritised the inspection of SPiMS.

The ETI recently published Part 1 of its evaluation of the quality of education in SPiMS classes, which is available at: https://www.etini.gov.uk/sites/etini.gov.uk/files/publications/specialist-provisions-in-mainstream-schools-part-1.pdf.

Part 2 of the evaluation of the quality of education in SPiMS classes commenced in September 2024 and the report is due to publish in Term 1 of the academic year 2025/26.