My Department provides assistance to 330 Voluntary Secondary Schools in the Free Education Scheme towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services. Fee charging schools do not receive any capitation related grant funding from my Department.
Voluntary secondary schools, in the Free Education scheme, are funded by way of per capita grants.
The main grants are the Capitation Grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc. and the School Services Support Fund (SSSF), Secretary and Caretaker Grants to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. Schools are permitted to regard the Capitation and SSSF Grant as a combined grant.
The following are links to the most recent circulars published on my Department’s website in relation to capitation, SSSF, Secretary and Caretaker funding.
https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0077_2018.pdf.
https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0033_2019.pdf.
It is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs. Where a school uses the grant funding for caretaking or secretarial purposes, any staff taken on to support those functions are employees of individual schools. Specific responsibility for terms of employment rests with the Board of Management of the school.
On foot of a Chairman’s Note to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, my Department engaged with the Unions representing school secretaries and caretakers, including through an independent arbitration process in 2015. The Arbitrator recommended a cumulative pay increase of 10% between 2016 and 2019 for staff and that a minimum hourly pay rate of €13 be phased in over that period. This arbitration agreement covers the period up to 31 December 2019.
The increases recommended by the Arbitrator are binding and must be applied by all schools who employ staff to whom the Arbitrator’s recommendation applies. My Department receives informal correspondence by telephone in respect of grant-funded secretary and caretaker circulars, as regularly occurs with the publication of pay circulars. Advice is provided on the implementation of the circular and the appropriate steps to take. Caretakers and Secretaries who have queries regarding the application of the circular should raise queries directly with their individual employer / Board of Management.
In addition, the recent survey of Secretaries and Caretakers has identified some schools that are non-compliant with the provisions of the 2015 Arbitration Agreement, and my Department will be making contact with these schools to remind them of their obligations under the agreement, as implemented through various circulars.
