Summer Programme 2025: school-based programme in primary schools

This year, all primary schools can offer a summer programme for pupils with complex special educational needs and those at risk of educational disadvantage.

A school-based programme provides a more holistic experience for pupils and helps keep the connection with school and peers.

There are two schemes available in the 2025 Summer Programme for mainstream primary schools:

• the Primary School Scheme – for pupils in enrolled in special classes, as well as pupils in mainstream classes who have special educational needs, and those who are at risk of educational disadvantage

• literacy and numeracy summer camp/campaí samhraidh for pupils in DEIS schools

Information Webinars on the Summer Programme 2025

Webinar 1

Pre-recorded on Tuesday 25th March 2025

Resources

Guidance – Appendices

To access webinars and resources from previous years, please click Summer Programme Archived webinars and resource material.

Summer Camp Programme 2025: Teachers' handbook

Primary schools that wish to participate in the 2025 Summer Programme must register on the department’s Primary 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.

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