The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is responsible for early years education and provision and school-age childcare outside of the formal education system. However, my Department has a key role in supporting quality within the sector and works closely with the DCEDIY.
My Department has historically funded a very small number of preschool services in schools in areas at particular risk of disadvantage and social exclusion. Outside of these initiatives, schools themselves are free to decide if they wish to make their facilities available for the running of early learning and care and/or school-age childcare services, and my Department understands that some schools do so. Any decision to make school facilities available lies with the relevant Trustees/ Property owners having regard to the requirements of the school, staff and students.
The policy of my Department is to support the use of school premises and facilities for community, recreational, education-related and other relevant purposes where possible. It is recognised that schools play an important role in their wider communities and many schools make their facilities available outside of school hours for a variety of different uses and users.
In 2017 guidelines, which were developed in consultation with school authorities, on the use of school buildings outside of school hours were published (Guidelines on the use of School buildings outside of School Hours) and a copy of these Guidelines is available on my Department's website. These Guidelines include information which school authorities should consider in the event that they receive an application for the use of their school in connection with a preschool. Where that proposed use may take place within school hours consideration has to be given to the impact on the capacity of the school to meet its requirements, including special education provision. The priority use for school accommodation is, necessarily, the provision of mainstream primary and post primary school places, as well as provision for children with special educational needs. Therefore, where a school is considering the letting of part of its property as an early learning and care setting during school hours, they must first have the prior approval of the Minister. In addition, where schools enter an agreement for the use of their facilities it should include a condition that the agreement may be terminated should the facility be required for education provision. The Guidelines recommend that any licence agreement here should be of a short-term nature and have appropriate break/termination clauses. The majority of school properties are not in State-ownership and my Department does not hold data on the termination of agreements with early learning and care providers.
My Department is currently undertaking a review of these Guidelines. As part of this review process my Department is consulting with relevant stakeholders, including representatives of schools and other government Departments, including the DCEDIY. Part of the consultation has included a school survey to inform the updating of the Guidelines. The survey was recently issued to patron bodies of a sample of selected primary and post-primary schools for distribution. The survey invited schools to share their views on topics related to the use of school buildings outside of school hours. It included questions on whether there is a preschool located on the property and the number of children attending.
The responses to the survey are currently being collated and analysed in order to inform the review of the Guidelines. Following the review, and in consultation with school authorities, the Guidelines will be updated as necessary and all schools will be notified of the changes. The updated guidelines are expected to be published towards the end of Quarter 3 2023.
In general, capital funding by my Department is reserved for the provision of mainstream school accommodation for primary education upwards, as well as for children with special educational needs. Funding for preschool services is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
