Jen Cummins
Question:247. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to provide the further support requested by a school (details supplied) to roll out the summer programme. [38464/26]
View answerThursday, 21 May 2026
Questions (247)
Written answers
Details of the 2026 Summer Programme were communicated to all schools on the 6th May 2026. All schools have been offered the opportunity to run a school-based programme for children with the most complex special educational needs and those at risk of educational disadvantage. Where a school does not intend to run a school-based programme or there is no place on the programme for an eligible child, schools were also invited to make an application for the home-based programme.
Under the terms and conditions of the Summer Programme scheme, participating schools may recruit one Organiser. The Organiser role carries a gross payment of €2,000 for participating mainstream schools and €3,000 for participating special schools. This payment may be claimed once the school’s programme has commenced.
The Organiser role may be undertaken by any permanent or fixed term teacher in the participating school and must be assigned to one person in the school. Like the role of Summer Programme Manager, the role of organiser is not restricted to the school principal or deputy principal. Instead, these roles provide valuable opportunities for professional development and leadership opportunities for school staff and growth as a means of distributed leadership within schools. Where more than one teacher expresses an interest in the Organiser role, it is the responsibility of the Boards of Management to select the most suitable candidate.
It is not proposed to increase the rate of pay for Organisers or to allow the appointment of additional Organisers. Schools are therefore encouraged to take account of the staffing resources permitted under the programme and to plan for their summer programmes accordingly.
In the case of the school referred to by the Deputy, as participation in the Summer Programme is voluntary, the school has chosen not to run a school-based Summer Programme in 2026.