Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

176. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reduce school costs specifically in relation to the proposal of a premium capitation payment to schools; the amount of the premium to be paid to schools; his plans to monitor the implementation of this proposal; when his Department circular will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21407/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My ambition is to make the Irish education and training service the best in Europe within a decade.

To deliver on my ambition to be the best we have to improve information and complaint procedures for parents and students, particularly in relation to costs.

I want to give parents a strong voice in ensuring costs are always kept to a minimum.

Schools have to do everything possible to keep costs down for parents, including the use of generic items, sew on or iron on crests, and making sure that various elements of the uniform can be purchased in multiple stores.

In the Action Plan for Education I have committed to the restoration of capitation payments. In restoring capitation payments, where schools have introduced these cost effective principles, they will receive a premium capitation payment.

I believe that full transparency in relation to the use of any voluntary contributions is important information for parents to have. The Parent and Student Charter will require every school to set out a financial statement, which will include information on how any voluntary contributions are used.

This is part of a suite of measures I am introducing, including the School Admissions Bill which will reform information and procedures around the process of school enrolment, and the commencement of Fitness to Teach, which allow a complaint to be made about a registered teacher to the Teaching to Council for the first time.

Circular letter 32/2017 ‘Measures to be adopted by schools to reduce the cost of school uniforms and other costs’ was published at the end of April and is available on my Departments website.

Following the implementation of the circular, school authorities will be required to adopt the following principles of cost-effective practice which will put a greater emphasis on reducing the cost of school uniforms and other costs:

- All elements of a school uniform should be purchasable from various stores;

- Only iron on or sew on crests should be used;

- Wherever possible, generic rather than branded items should be specified (e.g. uniform, clothing, IT tablets, sports equipment etc.);

- Provide parents with a list of all required items and indicate the likely costs of these required items at best value stores;

- Provide a book rental scheme;

- Phase out, between now and September 2018, the use of workbooks which cannot be reused;

- Where an exclusive supply arrangement applies, it should be tendered for regularly and

- The Board of Management in each school will have to review the cost of items which they require parents to purchase and to make this information available to the school community.

Schools will consult with parents on their views and ask for suggestions on cost reduction initiatives. Parents will be asked for their views about school uniform costs, and other costs, through a questionnaire.

As resources permit, it is my intention to reward schools that can provide evidence of having adopted the principles of cost-effective practice. It is intended that this could be done through some premium in capitation grants for schools.

The Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 outlines hundreds of actions to be implemented over the 3 year period 2016 to 2019. One of these actions aim to restore capitation funding over a three-year period as resources permit. It was not possible to provide additional funding in Budget 2017 in relation to capitation funding due to the many competing demands for the available funding. However, this commitment remains a priority for me to address as soon as possible during the lifetime of the Action Plan.

Circular 32/2017 recognises that schools may already have arrangements made for school uniforms and other school costs for September 2017. Therefore it is envisaged that it will be the school year 2018/2019 school year before schools can provide evidence of having adopted the principles of cost-effective practice.

When budgetary resources are available to provide an increase in capitation for schools, my Department will then consider the most appropriate mechanism to gather evidence on whether or not schools have adopted the principles of cost-effective practice.