AQW 28567/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 11/06/2025
Answered On Date: 17/06/2025
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to outline how much of his 2025-26 budget will be spent on the Special Educational Needs Reform Agenda and five-year Delivery Plan.

Answer:

A budget of £7.5m has been ring-fenced in 2025/26 for the delivery of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Reform Agenda and Delivery Plan, which is the year two allocation from my department’s successful bid of £27.5m from the Public Sector Transformation Fund (PSTF).

In addition, £3m has been ring-fenced from the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) Strategy funding to support the delivery of the Early Years actions within the Delivery Plan, including continuation of the Pre-School Education Inclusion Fund (PSEIF) in 2025/26.

I have also allocated £70m to the SEN capital investment programme in 2025/26.