To ask the Minister of Education, broken down by school type, (i) how many Specialist Provision in a Mainstream School are in place in schools; and (ii) how many schools have expressed an interest in facilitating a Specialist Provision in a Mainstream School from September 2024.

There are currently 474 Specialist Provisions in Mainstream Schools (SPiMS): 1 nursery, 309 primary and 164 post-primary classes.

As at 22 April 2024, 203 schools had expressed an interest in facilitating specialist provision classes.

On 23 April 2024, the Permanent Secretary issued a letter to all schools encouraging them to consider establishing specialist provision or expanding existing provision. This letter was followed by a short survey to determine existing or new capacity which issued on 24 April 2024 and closes on 3 May 2024. The results of the survey will be considered and followed up by the department and the Education Authority (EA).