As the Deputy is aware, funding for primary schools is dealt with on a per capita basis. The funding arrangements for post primary schools reflect the sectoral division of the second-level system. At the core of these arrangements is reliance upon capitation as a key determinant of funding. The basic grants are outlined in the following table.
|
Grant Type
|
Rate per mainstream pupil
|
|
Primary
|
|
|
Capitation
|
€170.00
|
|
Ancillary Grant
|
€163.00
|
|
Book Grant
|
€11.00
|
|
Voluntary Secondary
|
|
|
Capitation
|
€296.00
|
|
SSSF Grant
|
€215.50
|
|
Secretary Grant
|
€39.00
|
|
SSSF Secretary Grant
|
€26.00
|
|
Caretaker Grant
|
€32.50
|
|
SSSF Caretaker Grant
|
€20.00
|
|
Book Grant
|
€24.00
|
My Department does not hold information in relation to the per capita costs to schools of providing education and has not commissioned specific studies to be undertaken on the adequacy of State supports to schools in recent years. However the level of funding provided to schools and the drivers of costs at school level are kept under review by my Department.
Initiatives in order to assist with the reduction of costs at school level and management of finances are in place such as the services provided by the Schools Procurement Unit and the Financial Services Support Unit.
I also recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years.
Restoring capitation funding as resources permit is one of the actions included in the Action Plan for Education.
Budget 2018 marked the second year of major reinvestment in the education sector, as we continue to implement the Action Plan for Education, which has the central aim to make the Irish Education and Training service the best in Europe within a decade. In 2018, the budget for the Department of Education increased by €554 million to over €10 billion.
The process is underway for restoring grant funding that is used by schools to fund the salaries of ancillary staff. The ancillary grant was increased by €6 in 2016, €5 in 2017 and €5 in 2018, in order to enable primary schools to implement the arbitration salary increase for grant funded school secretaries and caretakers and to also implement the restoration of salary for cleaners arising from the unwinding of FEMPI legislation. A similar type approach in relation to improvements in grant funding was applied, as appropriate, at post-primary level.
