James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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811. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider extending the science implementation grant to fund schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18940/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, in December 2024 it was announced that €12 million in funding was to be provided for a new Science Implementation Support Grant.

The grant was paid to all schools in the Free Education Scheme in line with other Departmental approaches such as the Post-primary Schoolbooks Scheme. Outside of teacher salaries, which are paid directly by my Department, the main source of income for schools in the Free Education Scheme is grants payable to schools both on a per capita basis and for specific purposes such as the Science Implementation Support Grant. Such grants are provided to schools in the Free Education Scheme as these schools are not able to derive an income from the charging of fees. Fee-charging schools, which are thus outside of the Free Education Scheme, will not be able to avail of these grants.

In the case of the Science Implementation Support Grant, schools in the Free Education Scheme were provided with a minimum base payment of €13,000 up to a maximum of €22,000 based on four bands of enrolment with a further 10% uplift for DEIS schools. This means that DEIS schools received an additional 10% on top of the base payment for their enrolment band. This approach was also in line with previous applications of a DEIS uplift in Departmental funding models, including the grant for ICT infrastructure.

To assist schools in auditing their science equipment needs, my Department also published updated science equipment lists. These lists were revised and published in acknowledgement of the revised specifications to guide schools in identifying priority requirements in terms of consumables and equipment. The equipment lists are available for all schools to reference and can be found at . It should be noted, however, that the new specifications and assessment components involve students completing work as evidence of their ability to conduct scientific research on particular issues and to use appropriate primary data. It is not intended that these investigations are solely restricted to laboratory-based work.

Oide, the support service for teachers, is providing a comprehensive suite of professional learning events to support senior cycle redevelopment, including dedicated supports aimed at school leaders, full day professional learning experiences for all staff in schools, subject specific full-day cluster workshops for teachers, as well as a wide range of elective events and classroom materials and resources. This is available to all schools.