Marshalled List of Amendments
31 March 2026
Item 2 - Order Paper 161A/22-27 - Tuesday 31 March 2026
Cancellation of Summer Schemes in Special Schools
That this Assembly expresses grave concern that the Education Authority has announced the cancellation of summer schemes in special schools in 2026 due to concerns about healthcare provision for participating children; recognises that these schemes provide a lifeline for many families and that their cancellation will have devastating consequences for children with special educational needs and disabilities and their parents; condemns the failure of the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education to secure adequate nursing provision for the summer schemes when the gaps in nursing services in special schools have been apparent for a number of years; notes that a vital service is being threatened for children with special needs despite the Department of Health and the Department of Education accounting for a significant majority of the Executive’s budget; and calls on the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education to urgently work together to secure the funding and nursing provision needed to save summer scheme provision in special schools in 2026.
Mr Eóin Tennyson
Mr Nick Mathison
Mrs Michelle Guy
Miss Nuala McAllister
Amendment 1
Leave out all after “That this Assembly” and insert:
‘notes the decision to reinstate summer schemes in special schools in 2026 following their initial cancellation by the Education Authority; recognises that these schemes provide a lifeline for many families and that their cancellation would have had devastating consequences for children with special educational needs and disabilities and their parents; expresses frustration at the unnecessary uncertainty and distress caused by the initial decision and the manner in which it unfolded; further notes the ongoing concerns regarding healthcare provision for participating children and the longstanding gaps in nursing services in special schools; notes that a vital service for children with special needs was placed at risk, despite the Department of Health and the Department of Education accounting for a significant majority of the Executive’s budget; and calls on the Minister of Education and the Minister of Health to provide a full explanation of how this situation arose, to ensure that it is never repeated, and to work urgently and collaboratively to secure funding and nursing provision for summer schemes in special schools going forward.’
[Mrs Cathy Mason]
[Mr Pat Sheehan]
[Mr Danny Baker]
Amendment 2 (mutually exclusive to amendment 1)
Leave out all after ‘their parents;’ and insert:
‘welcomes the intervention of the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education in resolving this issue; notes that the Minister of Education’s Executive paper on capital funding for special educational needs has not been put on the Executive agenda some six months after initially being tabled; further notes that the issue of special educational needs is an Executive priority in the Programme for Government 2024-2027; and calls on the Minister of Finance to provide adequate funding to the Department of Health and Department of Education to ensure that children with special needs can be properly supported throughout the year.’
[Mr Peter Martin]
[Ms Diane Forsythe]
[Mr Jon Burrows]
[Mr Robbie Butler]
Amendment 3 (mutually exclusive to amendments 1 and 2)
After ‘budget;’ insert:
‘further notes that all Executive parties have representatives on the board of the Education Authority and were made aware of the risks to summer schemes in special schools on previous occasions;’
[Mr Colin McGrath]
[Mr Matthew O’Toole]
