Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

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.

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