I propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 181 together.
My Department will arrange for the issues raised by the Deputies to be brought to the attention of the Secondary Education Committee.
With regard to the fee-charging Protestant schools, an arrangement exists whereby funding is provided by my Department to the Secondary Education Committee, an organisation run by the churches involved in managing the Protestant secondary schools.
The Secondary Education Committee then disburses funds to the Protestant fee-charging schools on behalf of pupils who would otherwise have difficulty with the cost of fees and who, in the absence of such financial support, would be unable to attend a second level school of a reformed church or Protestant ethos. Funding currently amounts to €6.75 million annually. This fund ensures that necessitous Protestant children can attend a school of their choice.
The overall process used by the Secondary Education Committee involves the following:
- Submission of a completed application to the Secondary Education Committee. Guidance is provided to parents in relation to the application process.
- The child must be a verified member of a recognised Protestant religion
- The child must be planning to attend a school included in block grant scheme
- Parents/guardians are means tested as part of the application process
- Grants are paid at different levels and not as a proportion of fees charged.
- Boarding grant is only available if child lives more than 30km from school.
Application Procedure:
- Application forms are sent in late October annually to schools
- Application forms are forwarded to parents
- Religion criteria is verified by a recognised clergy person
- Financial information and supporting documents (e.g. P60 tax form) is submitted to the Secondary Education Committee with the application form.
- Closing date for receipt of completed applications is 28th February.
- Applications are means tested and fully assessed by end of March
- Secondary Education Committee Board decides amount for each grant level in early April and provisional notification is issued thereafter to applicants
- Approved applications are offered by mid-May
- Grant funds accepted are paid directly to schools in 3 term payments.
Financial Criteria:
The means test establishes whether applicants are in need of financial assistance to afford to send their child to a secondary school that accords with their religious ethos. It also assesses the level of assistance needed. The threshold for the allocation of funding is calculated on an annual basis and is derived from a calculation based on the total number of eligible applications in relation to the available funds.
For example, the level and number of grants awarded in 2016/17 school year was as follows:
|
Day Grants
|
Boarding Grants
|
No. of Grants awarded
|
1,377
|
867
|
Level of Grants awarded
|
€261 - €2,682
|
€957 - €7,629
|