AQW 49756/22-27

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 26/06/2026
Answered On Date: 06/07/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail any long-term plans being put in place to ensure that children and families do not continue to experience recurring difficulties in securing appropriate specialist provision.

Answer:

The Education Authority (EA) provided the following information on 2 July 2026;

Since 2022, over 6,000 additional SEN places have been created, with specialist provision classes growing from 214 across 93 schools to 720 across 269 schools, and over 1,000 additional places being established for the new academic year.

The EA is working with the Department of Education and schools to establish provision in schools with available capacity and to extend provision in schools already operating specialist classes. The EA is currently engaged with a number of schools on a programme of works for 2027 and 2028.

The EA is also consulting on a refreshed Framework for Specialist Provision in Schools, which provides the foundation for specialist provision, the programme to establish it, and the support package offered to schools once it is in place.

Looking further ahead, the EA is analysing the impact of the demographic downturn and the opportunities this may create for creative solutions to continue meeting the increasing demand for SEN provision beyond 2028.