James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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94. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine funding issues for a primary school currently experiencing difficulties (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28455/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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 to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general up-keep, 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 cases where a secretary is now paid from my Department's payroll as per circular 36/2022.

The current standard rate of Capitation Grant is €183 per pupil at primary level and this year's grant is being paid, - as usual, - in 2 instalments, - the first in January and the second in June, for the 2023/24 academic year. Enhanced rates of capitation are also paid in respect of pupils with Special Educational Needs, and Traveller pupils.

Primary schools with less than 60 pupils are paid the Capitation and the Ancillary Grants based on having 60 pupils.

As part of the capitation package in Budget 2024 I am pleased to have secured €21 million as a permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and longer-term with increased day-to-day running costs. This will support a permanent restoration of funding for all primary and post-primary schools from September 2024. This will bring the basic rate of Capitation Grant to the pre-2011 level of €200 per student in primary schools. Enhanced rates will also be paid in respect of pupils with Special Educational Needs. This represents an Increase of circa 9.2% of current standard and enhanced capitation rates.

In addition to these grants, €20 million in funding was issued in October 2023, to support all recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme. This funding is the first tranche of an overall additional €60 million funding announced as part of Budget 2024 measures designed to assist schools with increased day-to-day running costs such as heating and electricity. A further €40 million in funding was delivered in early 2024.

As you may be aware, - following the acceptance by Fórsa of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement in respect of salaries and various leave entitlements for grant-funded school secretaries, - those secretaries who accepted the terms of this agreement were placed on a payroll operated by my Department from September 2023. Therefore, ancillary related-grant funding has been revised to reflect the fact that schools are no longer paying these salaries directly.

The arrangements for the 2023/24 school year are based on reducing grants by the value of the salary schools paid to grant-funded secretaries prior to their acceptance of the new terms and conditions. Schools provided my Department with these details and this information is now being used to reduce the ancillary-related grant funding.

Correspondence issued to all schools on 20th December 2023 providing details of these arrangements for the period September to December 2023. Further correspondence issued on 26th April 2024 setting out the position for the period January to August 2024.

In the 2023/24 school year, schools have been paid the usual ancillary grant amount, minus the amount that schools previously paid to grant-funded secretaries prior to their acceptance of the new terms and conditions. Schools are in no way disadvantaged by this, as the grant is reduced only by the amount they previously paid to their secretaries.

Schools have been advised that work and engagement is ongoing to identify a method of standardising the reduction to the Ancillary and SSSF Grants for the longer term, where school secretaries are being paid via a payroll operated by my Department.

Any possible further increases will be part of Budget 2025 negotiations. While not wishing to pre-empt the outcomes of any future Budget negotiations or fiscal parameters agreed by Government, the Department of Education will continue to seek and prioritise the additional funding required to meet the ongoing costs of running schools as part of the annual Estimates process.

The Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU), funded by my Department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on financial matters, including budgeting and cashflow management. If the services of the FSSU would be of assistance to the school represented, please email sdfinfo@education.gov.ie and officials from my Department will contact the FSSU on behalf of the school. Alternatively, budgeting templates and more information can be found on www.fssu.ie

The NCSE is responsible for planning and coordinating school supports for children with Special Educational Needs, including the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs). SNAs are allocated to schools as a school-based resource and schools deploy SNAs in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of their students.

Any school who feels that their allocation is insufficient to meet the needs of its students can apply to the NCSE for a review. Detailed information on the NCSE exceptional review process is published on the NCSE website.