Summer Programme 2025 school-based programme in special schools

This year the Special School Programme continues as a pilot initiative to ensure there is a real focus on supporting special schools. This programme has been designed and developed to ensure supports are targeted to enhance the availability of a school-based programme for pupils in special schools.

A Summer Programme National Coordinator has been appointed. This person will liaise with special schools, the department and education centres to facilitate the organisation of programmes.

A portal is available for teachers and SNAs to register their interest in working on a school based programme in a special school. Student teachers and students in relevant disciplines such as therapy, social care and nursing and others, including early childcare workers and carers, will also be able to register their interest in working on such programmes.

The length of the day is being reduced from the full school day to 10am – 2pm but the same daily rate will be paid to staff taking part. This again recognises the challenges associated with running the programme in a special school.

Information webinars on the Summer Programme 2025 will be published in the coming weeks.

Resources

Guidance – Appendices

Special schools that wish to participate in the 2025 Summer Programme must register on the department’s Special School Online Registration Portal.

The portal is now live.

If schools do not have access to the registration link, they should contact the summer programme team via email at schoolsummerprogramme@education.gov.ie

Following registration, sanction emails will issue to schools for each scheme that they have registered for outlining the resources that have been sanctioned.

The School-Based Registration Portal closing date is 11 April 2025.

Schools can employ teachers and/or SNAs from outside of their school if the staff normally employed by the school are not available for any/all of the summer programme.

A portal on https://www.educationposts.ie/ will shortly be available for teachers and SNAs to register their interest in working on a school based programme in a special school. Students and others, including early childcare workers, will also be able to register their interest in working on such programmes. They will be able to submit preferences on location and availability. The rate payable to students and others, including early childcare workers and carers, will be the SNA rate of pay.

The Summer Programme Portal is now live on www.educationposts.ie

You can watch a number of principals, teachers and school staff talk about their experiences of running the summer programme in the past from the link below:

Summer programme school stories

Participating schools will utilise the department’s Esinet system to submit claims. This will allow claims to be processed on an ongoing basis during the summer.

The department will endeavour to reduce payment times this year for all complete payment claims submitted before published deadline dates. The department will process payments to teachers and SNAs as completed payment claims are submitted over the summer period through the Esinet portal.

Participating schools will be issued with information on how to submit claims for payments to staff before they start their summer programme.

The Summer Programme helpline will operate Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm at 090648 4292.

Email queries on the school-based programme can be sent to schoolsummerprogramme@education.gov.ie

Related

Summer Programme