School Staff

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 October 2022

Wednesday, 19 October 2022

Ceisteanna (125)

Sorca Clarke

Ceist:

125. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the number of voluntary secondary schools and private schools which receive assistance in the form of the capitation grant to provide for secretarial caretaking services from 2019 to date in 2022, by county in tabular form; the system used to decide the allocation to each school to allow them to meet the particular needs of their school; the supervision utilised to ensure that persons employed in these roles are appropriately renumerated and have the relevant employment conditions applied in each situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52455/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education

My Department provides funding to all 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 to cater for day to day running costs including heating, lighting etc. and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services/ school services support fund (SSSF) grants. These grants may be regarded as a common grant from which the Board of Management has the flexibility to allocate according to its own priorities.

In addition to the above, Voluntary Secondary Schools receive Secretarial and Caretaker Grants. Schools employing secretaries or caretakers under the 1978 scheme do not receive these Secretary/Caretaker grants.

Boards of Management of schools are responsible for the employment of grant funded ancillary staff and it is a matter for each school to determine the level of ancillary services required.

The amount paid to an individual school is determined by the school’s enrolment.

Fee charging schools do not receive capitation or ancillary grants from my Department.

Further information is available in the relevant circulars on my Departments website at the links below.

Voluntary Secondary schools capitation grant 0052/2020 - gov.ie - Revision of Capitation Grant Rates for Voluntary Secondary Schools in the Free Education Scheme (www.gov.ie)

Voluntary Secondary schools support services grant 0082/2020 - gov.ie - Revision of Schools Support Staff Funding Grant Rates for Voluntary Secondary Schools in the Free Education Scheme (www.gov.ie)

The table below shows the number of Voluntary Secondary Schools which received capitation and SSSF grants in the years 2019 to date. The information is not readily available by county at this time.

Voluntary Secondary Schools	2019/2020	2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
Capitation Grant	330	332	334	334
SSSF Grant	330	332	334	334
Basic Caretaker	318	320	322	322
SSSF Caretaker	322	324	326	326
Basic Secretary	230	235	244	247
SSSF Secretary	234	239	248	251