Vol. 1065 No. 5
102. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education her views on the number of schools reporting funding crises, related to increased energy, insurance and other costs, and which have not been matched with increased central funding; if she is concerned with the number of schools referred to the financial services support unit, for example; how she intends to respond to this funding crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16977/25]
I wish to ask the Minister her views on the number of schools reporting funding crises related to increased energy, insurance and other costs and that have not been matched with increased central funding; if she is concerned with the number of schools referred to the financial services support unit, for example; how she intends to respond to this funding crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
The Government and I as Minister for Education are committed to increasing funding to support all schools. This has already seen a €30 million permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and in the longer term with increased day-to-day running costs through budget 2025. This represents an increase of approximately 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates and is on top of the circa 9.2% increase from last year’s budget. In the past two budgets alone, there has been a 22% increase in the overall funding being provided through capitation for schools.
My Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the capitation grant, which caters for day-to-day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general upkeep, and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. Schools have the flexibility to use capitation funding provided for general running costs and ancillary funding provided for caretaking and secretarial services as a common grant from which the board of management can allocate according to its own priorities, except for the employment of relevant secretaries.
The current standard rate of capitation grant is €200 per pupil in primary school and €345 per student in post-primary school. Budget 2025 will bring the standard rate of capitation grant to the level of €224 per pupil in primary school and €386 per student in post-primary school from September 2025. Schools will see that benefit and increase at primary and post-primary levels. Enhanced rates will also be paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils.
Any possible further increases will be part of further budget negotiations but I cannot do that here. I expect, as do all colleagues, to engage with the Minister for public expenditure and reform. There is a clear commitment in the programme for Government to do more, ensure we continue to increase capitation and, above all, support schools as far as we possibly can, not just in providing them funding, but also through the FSSU and ensuring we provide them with advice and support. That is why so many of them come to the unit, as we have seen in the past few years.
It is evident that the Minister is not doing enough and her plan is to continue to not do enough. In the past month, a cursory look at the Dáil Chamber showed that at least 15 TDs from every party raised funding concerns on behalf of dozens of local schools. In every case, it was about insufficient funding and money that was intended for programme A, whether that be educational disadvantage, summer works or hot school meals, being used instead for day-to-day running costs: wages, insurance, energy, electricity and heat. School leaders have handed over their books to local TDs and shown them what is happening. For example, it is not unusual for a school’s insurance costs to be in excess of 25% of its capitation. It is very clear that the current level of funding is wholly inadequate. The Minister has indicated the projected level of funding. With respect, we have all heard her response ten times over because it is the exact same response to every Deputy who has raised this matter. There is a significant problem and it needs an urgent response.
I have also spoken to teachers and principals and I fully accept we need to do more. There is a clear commitment in the programme for Government to do more. However, the Deputy has to accept that, in the past two years alone, there has been a 22% increase in capitation across primary and post-primary as well as an enhanced rate for special schools or where support is needed in DEIS schools. I am not saying that is going far enough but I cannot negotiate the budget here on the floor of the Dáil. What I am saying clearly is I am committed to increasing it.
The FSSU is the unit that is specifically there in the Department to support schools that are going through a difficult time and say they need financial assistance. Last year alone, two schools got an advanced capitation rate. It is not that the Department is not reaching out or helping or will not provide funding. When schools reach out, it is often about looking to see how they can reduce costs, how can we put in place plans to support them and how can the unit work with them.
That is what the Department has been doing. I am not saying we do not do more. I want to see that capitation rate increase. There is, however, something else the Department can do that it is doing and has been doing for some time. It is working with schools, providing plans and budgets and supporting them in that way as well.
The people who deserve a huge amount of credit here, given the financial pressure they are under, are school principals, school leaders and school communities. In many of these cases they are keeping schools operational that, without their effort, would be under the water.
I recognise there have been increased levels of funding, but there has also been a far greater level of increase in demands, for example, insurance costs. I have figures that show many schools are spending at least 25% of their budget on insurance costs alone, before anything else. The world has changed. The Minister is talking about €30 million in additional funding. My party called for €150 million in additional funding and provided for that in our alternative budget. That is the scale of ambition that is required and sought, not just by Sinn Féin but also by teaching unions and school leaders.
With all due respect, the Deputy's party called for multiple different variations of €150 million. We have to work within a budget and we have to make sure we prioritise where the need is most. I fully accept the need is here in education and that we need to provide more, but there is no school that will be let go to the wall because funding is not being provided. I cannot be any clearer than that. I also commend our principals, teachers and all the staff who work so hard day in, day out. I appeal to any school, if it is in financial difficulty, to please reach out, engage at an early stage and make sure it is engaging with the Department. There is not a single school in this country, and there are 3,000 primary schools and 700 post-primary schools, that will not be supported and assisted, be it in providing finance ahead of schedule or providing other types of assistance. That is not to say I do not want to do more-----
We cannot be running from one crisis to the next.
If we start allocating budgets outside of the budget every month, then we do not have a budget.
That is exactly what is happening. You are robbing Peter to pay Paul.
We have to work within the budget that has been provided, and what has been provided is 22% of an increase. I am absolutely committed to providing more. It could not be any clearer in the programme for Government. There is no school that will be let go to the wall because there is no funding being provided. We will always provide funding to schools.
103. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the number of new special classes and special schools sanctioned for September 2025; if she will guarantee these will all be open by September 2025 and fully resourced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16978/25]
Iarraim ar an Aire nua-shonrú a thabhairt ar líon na ranganna speisialta nua agus na scoileanna speisialta a cheadaíodh i Meán Fómhair 2025. An féidir léi a dheimhniú go mbeidh gach cheann dóibh oscailte roimh mhí Mheán Fómhair na bliana seo? I would like the Minister to provide an update on the number of new special classes and special schools sanctioned for September 2025. Can she guarantee that these will be opened this September?
I thank the Deputy for the question. This Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential, and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. Up to an additional 2,700 specialist places, made up of 400 new special classes for, on average, six children each, and 300 special school places will be provided for the coming 2025-26 school year. The NCSE has sanctioned more than 375 new special classes to date, and I think the figure could be up to 390. It is engaging intensely with schools and patron bodies to confirm additional classes as soon as possible. Working groups are also progressing the establishment of five new special schools and capacity is being increased in a number of existing special schools, particularly in Cork and Dublin. On top of this, there will be well in excess of 1,200 places available through the normal annual movement of students progressing and graduating. There also remains special classes with vacant places in some areas of the country.
A number of new measures to support the forward planning of special education provision was set out in Circular 0080/2024. These included new measures to address a challenge of the NCSE not knowing about some of the children seeking specialist placements previously. Parents of children with special educational needs seeking specialist placements were asked to notify the NCSE by 1 February. This deadline was extended to mid-February due to the inclement weather at the start of February. The NCSE received 3,275 verified notifications by mid-February. I want to thank all of the parents who notified the NCSE. Through the 2,700 new places being created and the more than 1,200 places in existing special classes and schools, there are close to 4,000 places available for the coming school year.
Cuirim lánfáilte roimh na figiúirí agus na huimhreacha a thug an tAire Stáit dúinn ach is iad na focal is tábhachtaí ná "they are provided" agus "they are sanctioned". It is important these are actually open. As a former primary school teacher of nearly 20 years, with at least eight of those in special education, and now as Sinn Féin's spokesperson on special education, I am deeply concerned for the many families in Ireland who are struggling to secure appropriate school places for their children. Last week alone, I was contacted by six different families in south Kildare desperate because they have been unable to secure an appropriate place for their children in a special class or school. These are not isolated incidents. Parents from across the State have been campaigning relentlessly for years and there is still no sufficient action from the Department. This failure of Government year on year left parents with no alternative last week, as many took to the streets to sleep rough for the second time in the hopes the voices of their neglected children would be heard. While the numbers of new special classes and schools being planned for September are welcome, we need a commitment today not only that there will be places but that they will actually be opened.
I thank the Deputy for the supplementary questions. I met a number of parents and have met with them over many years in respect of special educational needs. I know the stress they are under. I cannot overstate how hard the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I have worked over recent weeks to ensure we would have a place for every child in September. We are working extremely hard with the NCSE and the Department of Education officials to ensure all of the 400 special classes are opened by September. We are a number of months ahead of where we were this time last year because of the work that has been put in. I believe the NCSE has created sufficient capacity for children who need special classes in September. It is important we take note that the deadline was 1 February this year and our intention is to have that deadline earlier in the school cycle so there would be certainty for families earlier in the school year.
Tuigim an tábhachtacht a bhaineann leis na huimhreacha atá curtha ar fáil, ach is é an rud is tábhachtaí ná go mbeidh na spásanna oiriúneach do na páistí. There is another issue that is coming up. I and my colleagues have had many parents contacting us regarding SNA allocations. In one case, 15 students were told on Friday that their SNA allocation was being withdrawn on Monday. In two other schools, reviews are indicating there will be a reduction in SNAs for September. In another school, a review recommended additional SNA support but the school was told no additional supports would be provided because it has already reached its cap. Has there been a change in approach or policy? Can the Minister of State guarantee there will be no reduction in supports to children? Many of these children are in inappropriate class settings due to their not being able to get their appropriate class. They are the ones who are most vulnerable. They rely heavily on the SNAs. These decisions are deeply affecting students who are already vulnerable. It will worsen their educational experience if the reduction in SNA support happens. Ní mór dúinn a chinntiú go bhfaigheann na páistí seo na hacmhainní ceart chun forbairt, ní hamháin maireachtáil.
There is absolutely no policy change in relation to SNAs. We have more SNAs working in the education system and more budgeted for the 2025-26 school year. I take this opportunity of acknowledging the enormous work the SNAs do in the entire school communities. The work they do in special education, the dedication they put into it and the connection they have with the children and families is second to none. We should acknowledge the great work the SNAs do. We are committed to having more SNAs working within the education system because this means we will have a more inclusive society and support in the classroom for children who need it, right through the school year, not just in primary but right through the school cycle.
There has been no change; this is just a coincidence.
No change.
104. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the measures she is taking to ensure children are protected and safe in the online world while at school; if she will acknowledge that €9 million phone pouches are an expensive distraction and that a more comprehensive response is required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16979/25]
What measures is the Minister taking to ensure children are protected and safe in the online world while at school, will she acknowledge that the €9 million phone pouches are an expensive distraction and that a more comprehensive response is required, and will she make a statement on the matter?
I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue and something we all have a responsibility to try to deal with to support our young people, to educate them and to protect them insofar as possible from many of the challenges they face online. In respect of the mobile phones during school time, the pouches were just one of a number of measures that have been recommended and will be rolled out. It is not mandatory for any school but is an option for a school to take up. I have spoken to schools where this has been rolled out and the response from teachers and also from parents is that this is transformative for children in that they are not on their phones, not just during the school period and class times but also at break times, when we want them to be having fun with their friends and enjoying sport, drama, music or whatever else they are involved in. As I said, it is just one of a suite of measures that we all need to be engaged in.
In the Department of Education, as part of our digital strategy for schools, the focus is on ensuring that young people are supported so that they can use technology as a key part of their learning, but also that they are safe and well in doing it online. A key component of that is Webwise, the Irish Internet safety awareness centre, which is part of the Irish safer Internet centre. It supports teachers and parents but also supports students directly. It gives a sustained information and awareness strategy targeting school leaders, teachers, parents and children themselves. It develops and disseminates resources that help teachers integrate digital citizenship across their different platforms.
For example, there are resources such as Be in Ctrl, a campaign on online exploitation and sexual coercion, and Lockers, a resource for post-primary students dealing again with the sharing of explicit self-generated images of minors. There is engagement around Coco's Law, a law I introduced, which bans the sharing of intimate images, and Up2Us, a campaign focused on creating awareness in the prevention of online bullying. There is a Webwise youth panel of 30 teenagers, who work with Webwise to ensure that what is being rolled out is appropriate. There are also changes to the social, personal and health education, SPHE, and the relationships and sexuality education, RSE, curriculums. It is really important that when they are being rolled out, they are focused on the issues that young people are concerned with and an emphasis on online issues.
I will come back in on some of the other work that is being done.
I thank the Minister. Children are being exposed to extreme violence, including sexual violence and pornography, and some social media platforms trade on hate and division. That has real implications where people are suggesting, and I do not disagree with them, that there is a very significant experiment with our children and policymakers are very often behind the curve. There is a challenge for all of us. I have quite a cynical view of voluntary codes and poorly accessed resources. I would be interested in the extent to which Webwise's resources are accessed and used because my sense is that it is not massive, and this also applies to the phone pouches.
We need a comprehensive response here and we need media literacy to be embedded in our education system, from the cradle to grave. The Minister is well placed to do this. There are good international examples, such as in Finland. We should absolutely be world leaders. We have lots of tech here and we should lead in this space.
So much work is being done. I mentioned Webwise and the different programmes that are being rolled out. The change in the curriculum has taken a number of years but it is now being rolled out and will be mandatory for leaving cert students. The ban that has initially come into our primary schools is absolutely fantastic but we all have a role here. There is more that schools can do, such as through the ICT grant, which ensures that children are digitally literate. Yesterday, I was at a school in Trim where there is coding and programmes I certainly did not have access to when I was in school. Children are being taught in a way that shows them how they can benefit from technology, but we need to ensure that, embedded in that education, we are wise to the challenges they face.
As parents, we also have a role to play. I spoke to a primary school teacher last night whose school has banned mobile phones. It works very well, but he knows there are students in second class and upwards who have access to phones when they go home, be it a parent's phone or a sibling's phone that has been discarded, which they are able to use to access social media sites. We have to ensure that the education does not just stop in the classroom and that any of the programmes we are developing can be accessed not just by the teachers and students but also by the parents. That is so much of what is happening.
We need specific timelines and measures because we can all agree in the round here, and I do not disagree with a word that the Minister has said, but what we need from the Government is action and implementation on this. For example, while this is not the Minister's responsibility, we have light-touch regulation and it needs to be improved, with age verification and recommender settings. Children, not much older than junior to senior infants, potentially have access to pornography in their pockets. That has to be tackled. In the area of education, it is about embedding critical thinking and media literacy from the cradle to the grave. In Finland, they do it from preschool and they are at it for decades. That is something on which the Minister can personally take a lead. I would welcome working with her on that to transform this issue. Bans will go only so far, but we need to educate people as to the power of these devices.
To outline the action to date, phones have been banned in schools, and in primary schools in particular, which is only right. Young people are still being educated through the reform of the RSE programme. On post primary, a directive was issued by the Minister for Education urging schools to have restrictive mobile phone use in place, and we can see that being implemented in many of the schools.
Most important, the new SPHE curriculum is going to be mandatory. While that focuses on everything from sexual health to other areas relating to bullying and everything else, online will be a key part of that. There is also a programme called-----
Some of that is already outdated.
The SPHE programme is being updated so everything will be up to date, and young people are being asked what is important to them and what they should be discussing. Only last week, I launched a new programme in arts, which has been taken up by about a third of schools at the post-primary level. This is an overall health and well-being programme that brings everything into one place. It can be accessed by teachers and students and there is peer-to-peer learning. Most important, parents can also access it. We know the impact mobile phones can have on young people's mental health, particularly where they are accessing the material the Deputy mentioned, such as violent pornography, bullying or other elements on social media. These are all the actions that have been taken, but I absolutely agree that we need to do more. We will all work together on that.
105. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education the steps she is taking to fulfil the programme for Government pledge to roll out common application systems; the progress made on establishing a common applications process for secondary school places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17560/25]
For the first time, common application processes are included in the programme for Government, which is great. If there are not enough school places in an area, a common applications process, CAP, cannot make up for that. It will streamline the enrolment process for families, some of whom face months of stress waiting to find out if their child has secured a place in their local school. Will the Minister update me on the common application trial, which principals in Dublin 15 are spearheading for children with additional needs, the Department's involvement and her plans to implement a CAP for secondary schools, which is very much needed in Dublin West?
We are not going to go over time with every question. I ask Deputies to please stick to their times and prepare properly.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue.
At the outset, we have to ensure we have the capacity there for any of these types of new application systems to work. My Department has a very significant capital programme, which is providing additional capacity around the country. Since 2020, €5.8 billion has been invested in our schools, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. Additionally, we are working very closely with schools and patrons to ensure that there are sufficient places available each year. What is key to this, the new online system and the new application system is good data-sharing between schools and my Department is working on that as well.
On the roll-out of the programme for the senior cycle, a number of pilots are operating. Common application systems are in place in a small number of specific areas, such as at post-primary level in Limerick and Ennis and for primary special classes in Dublin 15. A report is due to come back to me through the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, for the Dublin 15 area, but judging by the work that is being done at secondary level, there are benefits. There are clear challenges where not every school in an area is signed up to a common application system, and that is the point we need to get to.
For the Dublin 15 area, I commend Deputy Currie, in particular, and those on the Dublin 15 task force, including parents, teachers, principals, the NCSE and many others, who have been working to develop the common application system. What they need to do now, and they will be supported in this through the Department and the NCSE, is move onto the next stage, having completed the first year of this programme. The feedback so far is positive, but for this to work effectively we need more schools to be part of this overall experience. The Department is taking lessons from the secondary school trial, with a view to developing a new commitment for a national system. A pilot expanding on the ones that are happening in Limerick and Ennis will start in 2026 and 2027.
This is about making sure we have the best system possible so that stress is removed from parents, and in particular from those who have children with additional needs.
I thank the Minister. Yes, we have our trial in Dublin 15 and I commend the principals on it. There are 13 schools involved but with the support of the Department, it can be scaled up. The trial done for secondary schools is being run independently, and with the Department's involvement it can be piloted in other areas, such as Dublin West, as a project. As I have said, when it comes to the common applications process we still need sufficient places. Will the Minister give an update on the autism classes for September 2025? Five primary school classes and four secondary school classes have been approved. We have another emerging issue in Dublin West, whereby parents might secure a place but the modular buildings have not been put in place for the school year. I would particularly like an update on Danu Community Special School.
I assure the Deputy we will be building on the two pilots I have mentioned for secondary schools, taking lessons and experience from them, and starting a pilot for the next school year, 2026-27, with the hope and ambition to roll it out further. We need to make sure we have the ability to share as much data as possible so all of our school systems are updated and all the schools in a particular area are involved and part of the overall pilot. This work is under way.
With regard to Danu Community Special School in particular, I assure the Deputy it is a priority for the Department to provide a permanent building. There was a request for the modular accommodation that is needed. The project management team is making arrangements, specifically trying to identify and ascertain the fire certificate and the disability access certificate. The first tranche of funding has been put in place and it is at preconstruction stage, whereby the contractor is modifying the modular accommodation off-site. All of this work is happening and progressing as quickly as possible. It is anticipated that construction on the site will commence during the school term. Progress is being made and we want to see it in place as soon as possible while the new build is being put in place.
I thank the Minister. The truth of the matter is that parents go through a rollercoaster to secure a school place in Dublin West. There are lengthy waiting lists that have to drop in order for children to attend school and it is very stressful. A new secondary school in Hollywoodrath is excellent news for the Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart school areas but not when it is at the expense of the new school that opened in Barnwell, Hansfield. We need both schools. I do not trust the figures from the Department that justify this move. The Department states there is significant movement across the school areas, with 60% of students leaving the Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart areas to go to other school areas, with 33% leaving the Blanchardstown school area. This does not take into consideration one of the problems with our admissions policies, whereby some deal with catchments while others deal with feeder schools. Many of the children in the area are in feeder schools.
I am aware of this issue because it has been raised previously, including by the Deputy. The information we have in the Department very clearly shows approximately 1,000 pupils move outside Dublin 15 on a daily basis to go to schools in the surrounding areas. This is obviously putting pressure on those schools. The view is the development of the new school, which I know is temporarily placed elsewhere, and moving it back into the Mulhuddart and Tyrrelstown area where the problem is most acute will resolve many of the pressures placed on surrounding schools. We have to work with the data we have. We have to work on the basis of where we see movement and where we see enrolment happening. This has to be kept under constant review. If it is the case that demographics change, or the school moves to have the permanent build in the Mulhuddart and Tyrrelstown area, but there still continues to be pressure in other areas, then there needs to be a very rapid response. The information and the data the Department has, which it has to work with, shows this should create a relief, particularly for those schools that are significantly under pressure.
