To ask the Minister of Education to detail any consideration he has given to the Education Authority proposal that special school staff are given additional Staff Development Days to facilitate relevant training, where deemed necessary, to ensure staff are confident that they can meet the needs of pupils placed in their school.

Staff Development Days are currently granted on the basis that they should only be used for school improvement and professional development activities including self-evaluation, strategic planning and review and staff development activity.

The Education Authority (EA) Special Schools’ Service has been exploring special schools’ training needs and gaps. Further work is commencing with schools and other EA services to support a training framework for professional development. The outcome of this will indicate if additional Staff Development days are required.