Public Consultation on the Draft Special Education Strategic Area Plan 2022-27

The Education Authority (EA) is seeking your views on the draft Special Education Strategic Area Plan 2022-27: Planning for Special Education Provision, which focuses on meeting the needs of children and young people with a Statement of Special Educational Need through a consistent model across all areas of Northern Ireland that would see all special schools provide 3-19 provision in the same school and increasing the number of specialist provisions in mainstream primary and post primary schools.

This consultation is

Closed

Closing date

12 April 2022

The purpose of the draft Special Education Strategic Area Plan 2022-27: Planning for Special Education Provision is to outline the aim, vision, mission and Key Themes with regard to special schools and specialist provision in mainstream schools across Northern Ireland.

The aim of Area Planning for Special Schools and Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools is to ‘ensure pupils have access to a placement that best meets the needs of children and young people with a statement of special educational needs.’

This is the first regional Special Education Strategic Area Plan for Northern Ireland 2022-2027 (SESAP). The SESAP sets the strategic direction of Special Education Area Planning for the next five academic years 2022-2027.

This strategy has been informed by the Special Schools Area Planning Framework and the Framework for Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools. These frameworks act as the drivers for strategic planning of specialist provision in mainstream schools and in special schools in the same way that Schools for the Future – A Policy for Sustainable Schools is the driver for Area Planning for primary and post-primary schools.

To meet the needs of children and young people with a Statement of Special Educational Need, Area Planning will seek to provide:

availability at their nearest suitable special school/nearest suitable mainstream school with specialist provision;
pupils with equitable access to excellent provision that meets the individual needs of the child or young person;
special school provision in a single 3-19 school or through collaborative 3-19 provision; pathways in specialist provision for all ages and stages of development;
for changing educational, physical and medical needs; and
inclusivity, providing opportunities for education alongside mainstream peers.

The purpose of the consultation is to seek views relating to the vision, mission and Key Themes with regard to Special Education Strategic Area Planning for special schools and specialist provision in primary and post primary schools for the next five years.

The EA is seeking your views as part of this consultation and you will find the relevant documents associated with the consultation, including the consultation response questionnaire below.

Please note this consultation is open from 12 noon on Tuesday 18 January 2022 and closes at 5pm on Tuesday 12 April 2022.