Buddy Bear funds plea to Stormont

A specialist school for children with cerebral palsy in Dungannon has submitted a renewed appeal for Government support, warning that its long-term future depends on stable funding.

The Buddy Bear School, which opened in 1993, is the only provider of conductive education in Northern Ireland.

Although it is recognised and inspected by the Department of Education (DE), it operates independently and receives no core funding for staffing or running costs, unlike most other schools. A small number of pupils have their places paid for by the Education Authority (EA), but the majority of the school’s income comes from donations and fundraising.

The funding appeal follows a visit to the school by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt on Wednesday of last week.
During his visit, the Health Minister said he had been struck by parents’ accounts of their children’s progress.

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