Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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233. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of a five year period of a school exiting the fee-paying system and becoming fully public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4726/20]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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My Department pays a range of grants to schools in the Free Education Scheme based on a school’s enrolment. These schools may also apply for funding towards the cost of capital works. These grants are not payable to Fee Charging schools.

Furthermore, schools in the Free Education Scheme are allocated teaching posts on a pupil teacher ratio (PTR) of 19:1. Posts are allocated to those in the Fee Charging Sector on a PTR of 23:1.

Each school is considered on an individual basis therefore it is not possible to provide the information requested by the Deputy in the absence of enrolment numbers and other information that may be relevant. However, the estimated additional annual cost of capitation related grants and additional teaching posts, associated with a Fee Charging school with an enrolment of 500 students joining the Free Education Scheme is €1.4mamounting to approximately €7m over a five year period.