Reopen July provision portal so children don't miss out - Mayo councillor

COUNCILLOR Alma Gallagher is calling on the Department of Education to immediately reopen the July provision registration portal after schools and families across Mayo were left unable to complete registrations due to a sudden and poorly communicated change to the system.

The July Provision Programme, administered by the Department of Education, provides educational support for children with additional needs during the summer months. The programme can be delivered through schools or through a home-based scheme and is designed to support children who may struggle with a break in routine and learning over the summer period.

Families are entitled to up to 40 hours of support, however many parents already face major difficulties sourcing tutors or SNAs to deliver the programme.

Up until this year, the Home-Based and School-Based July Provision Programme was administered separately and was largely viewed by schools as an automatic enrolment process rather than a formal application system. This year, however, both programmes were merged into a new online portal-based application process.

The first email from the July Provision Programme was issued on May 6, with a follow-up email only sent on Thursday, May 14. Schools were informed that the closing date for applications was the very next day, Friday, May 15.

In many cases, including schools such as St. Anthony’s in Castlebar, school offices were closed during this period due to leave arrangements. As a result, secretaries and principals did not receive or act on the email in time, leaving vulnerable children without access to a support service they are fully entitled to, said the Ballyhaunis-based councillor.

Speaking following numerous calls from concerned parents and schools, Councillor Gallagher said: “This situation is simply not good enough. These are children with additional needs and families who already face enormous challenges trying to access supports.

“The July Provision Scheme is difficult enough to access at the best of times, as parents often have to source their own tutor or SNA if the school cannot provide one. Now the department has introduced a new system with almost no notice and closed the portal before many schools even became aware of the change.

“The school handles the registration process - parents only express interest and complete forms. Families trusted that schools would be able to register as normal, but schools themselves were effectively locked out because of the rushed timeline.”

Councillor Gallagher confirmed that she has been in contact with Minister Norma Foley’s office as well as Minister Hildegarde Naughton, seeking urgent intervention to reopen the portal and allow schools sufficient time to complete registrations.

“I have spoken directly with the July Provision department and was informed there have been hundreds of calls and emails from parents and schools who have missed out. This is clearly a widespread issue and not isolated cases. The department must show common sense and compassion and reopen the portal immediately.

“These children and families are entitled to these supports. No family should lose vital supports due to departmental bureaucracy or administrative red tape. We cannot continue allowing vulnerable children to miss out because systems are not working for schools or parents.”

Councillor Gallagher is urging the Department of Education to immediately extend and reopen the registration process to ensure no child loses out on essential summer educational supports because of administrative failures.