Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Education to detail (i) whether his Department has made any assessment of the demand for post-16 Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools (SPiMS) places; (ii) whether any dedicated funding mechanism currently exists to support schools in establishing post-16 SPiMS provision; (iii) whether any consideration has been given to creating such a funding stream; and (iv) any steps he is taking to ensure that pupils currently entering Year 11, who require specialist support within a mainstream setting, are not left without an appropriate post-16 pathway.
Minister of Education: The Education Authority (EA) have advised that they continue to monitor increasing demand for specialist provision and to create pathways from Key Stage 4 to post-16. The EA is building on pilot post-16 provision to create specialist provision post-16 to meet the needs of the young people.
The EA is currently working with Larne High School, Blackwater Integrated College and The High School, Ballynahinch to explore how specialist provision for post-16 pupils can be developed. It is expected that this exploratory work will be extended to additional schools during the 2026/27 school year and aligned with emerging policy and any future legislative requirements relating to statutory provision for young people aged 16-18. Consideration of future funding arrangements will be informed by this work and wider policy development. The EA currently has an enhanced funding and support package for specialist provisions. This package is available for post-16 specialist provision.
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