Education Minister has announced a wide-ranging
programme of significant and sustained capital investment for the
development of school facilities to support children with Special
Educational Needs (SEN) across Northern Ireland.
Speaking in the Assembly, the Minister said:
“Today I am announcing the biggest step change to capital
planning in education for a generation, with an ambitious and
far-reaching programme of investment in facilities for children
with SEN, which will transform the education and lives of our
most vulnerable children and their families.
“It is simply not good enough that many of our most vulnerable
children are being educated in ageing facilities, too often
without adequate equipment and resources. Our special school staff, who
work with our most vulnerable learners, need and deserve
facilities that match their skills and expertise.”
The new SEN Capital Programme will deliver; up to eight entirely
new special schools over the next 10 years; new builds for a
number of existing special schools; an extension and
refurbishment programme for special schools; accommodation for
specialist classes in mainstream schools as well as additional
maintenance and equipment funding.
Outlining a four-point capital investment masterplan that will
benefit every special school in Northern Ireland, the Minister
continued:
“I have put in place an annual £5million maintenance programme
for special schools as well as £4million to provide equipment
grants to both special schools and schools with specialist
provisions, to ensure they have the right resources to support
their pupils.”
The Minister added:
“We are rightly proud to have wonderful special schools across
Northern Ireland and we know the life-changing impact that a
successful special school has on pupils and their families.
“I am therefore also announcing that planning of new build
schools for Sperrinview and Knockevin Special Schools will begin
immediately, as too will capital planning for the much needed
second campus of Ardnashee Special School.”
The Minister concluded:
“Our hopes and ambitions for our children
with SEN should be the same as for any other
child. This programme of capital investment is wide-ranging
and necessarily ambitious and will transform the special
education provision in Northern Ireland.”
Notes to editors:
- The SEN capital programme will have four distinct strands as
follows:
- an annual ring-fenced resource maintenance and equipment
programme for special schools and specialist.
- creation of additional Specialist Provision in Mainstream
Schools classes (SPiMS).
- extension of existing special schools to provide additional
places; and
- new special school provision.
- The programme will require approximately half a billion
pounds of capital investment over the next decade.
