Aisling Dempsey: Schools Shortchanged on Summer Programme
Aisling Dempsey raises concerns about the School Summers Programme (formerly July Provision), citing parents, school staff and principals across Meath West who say they lack the resources and staffing needed this year. She warns that the wording of the Department circular risks prioritising paperwork over practical needs and calls for the School Summer Programme to work with schools to secure appropriate staff and SNAs.
Issue raised
Aisling Dempsey outlines complaints from schools in Trim, Navan and elsewhere in Meath West about insufficient allocations to run the School Summers Programme in the current year. Parents and school staff have contacted her reporting frustration and stress over staff shortfalls and resource gaps.
Local impact
Dempsey stresses that this provision is not a luxury or a summer camp but an educational programme and essential support for parents. She argues that schools and families are best placed to know the appropriate teacher and SNA ratios for their children and that rigid application of the circular would harm delivery.
Department response
The Department says it has received more applications for the school-based scheme this year and that home-based requests have also risen; officials are engaging with schools individually. Staffing allocation for special class groups typically mirrors the resource allocation used during the school year.
Next steps called for
Dempsey calls for the School Summer Programme team to work closely with schools and for a review after this year to ensure resources are targeted to those most in need as the scheme expands. She urges that the letter of the circular not trump common sense when children’s supports are at stake.
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I want to raise with you today the School Summers Programme, formerly July Provision. I've had numerous parents, school staff and principals all in touch with me who are really frustrated and very stressed out. Schools in Trim, St Michael's, Gullwira and St Anne's in Navan and many more across Meath West have told me that they haven't been allocated enough resources to run the programme this year, that they have not got enough staff to do it allocated by the department and the Summer Programme team have been really responsive to me. I know they are working with schools but I'm really concerned that the wording of this circular will trump common sense here. This isn't a summer camp, it's not a luxury, it's a really valuable educational programme and it really is an essential support for parents. We really need to make sure that the letter of the law of this circular is not enforced, that the School Summer Programme work closely with the schools to get them what they need. These schools and these parents know the ratio of teachers and SNAs to kids that they need. Thank you. First of all thank you Deputy Deputy for raising this issue. What I'm hearing, the department is saying basically it's received more applications for the school-based scheme this year than ran it in 2025, with increases across primary, post-primary and special schools. In addition the number of home-based applications has significantly increased in the last year and officials in the department are engaging with schools on an individual basis in relation to the running of the Summer Programme. Staffing allocation for special class groups in the primary school scheme is typically the same as the special class resource allocation which exists during the school year. I think after this year's scheme there should be a review of this because I think we need to target our resources to those most in need and the scheme has been expanding significantly.
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