Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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153. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will support the allocation of additional resources to the Department of Education to fund a proposed scheme where caretakers are paid directly by a Department body; if he will ensure that small rural DEIS schools, such as a school (details supplied), receive adequate funding to cover essential maintenance and upkeep; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22575/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil their full potential in life is a key priority for my Department, and for the government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to all schools, such as the introduction of free school books and free hot school meals.

The department invests over €180 million annually to provide additional supports to almost 1,200 schools in the DEIS programme which supports approximately 260,000 students.

The DEIS programme is targeted at schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage. Schools that were included in the most recent expansion of the programme in 2022 were those with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage as identified through the refined DEIS identification model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model was applied fairly and equally to all schools. A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie.

All schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data, were provided with the opportunity to make an appeal. Circular 0019/2022 outlined the details of the DEIS appeals process. Under the DEIS appeals process, schools were provided with the opportunity to have the application of the refined DEIS identification model to their school’s data reviewed. The appeals process also offered schools the opportunity to review their school enrolment data which they had submitted to the department and to improve its accuracy if necessary. All appeals submitted have now been processed by the department and schools have been notified of the outcome. The DEIS appeals process was applied fairly across all appellants, the window for appeals has now closed and the results are final.

It is possible for two neighbouring schools to have a different profile in terms of proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and the relative weighting of disadvantage apportioned in each. The designation of neighbouring schools to different DEIS status does not mean that there is no educational disadvantage present in one school, but that the concentrated level of educational disadvantage of the two schools is different. Gender of students, ethos of the school or the designation of a school as single or mixed is not a factor in the DEIS identification model.

The DEIS programme is based on the premise that in order to have the maximum possible impact on providing opportunities for students most at risk of educational disadvantage, extra resources must be targeted as closely as possible at those students with the greatest level of need.

I am determined to close the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and introduce more innovative solutions to tackle disadvantage. A new DEIS Plan will be published in 2025. This plan will focus on improving the opportunities and achievement levels of children at risk of educational disadvantage, developing more innovative approaches to tackling educational disadvantage, and working towards a more flexible system of supports to ensure that a school can receive the right support at the right time.

Minor Works & Emergency Works

The Department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary and special schools. Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the Minor Works Grant would be paid in either December or January of the school year to all primary and special schools. In recent years the Department’s approach has been to pay the Minor Works Grant to primary and special schools in advance of the start of the following school year to facilitate a better lead in period for schools to plan any maintenance or minor works during the summer period.

The Minor Works Grant for the school year 2024/2025 issued in April 2024. The lead-in period ahead of the new school year, give schools sufficient time to make plans and set priorities for use of the funding.

Primary and special schools need not apply for minor works grant aid. Under the scheme, funding is made available to all primary and special schools on the following basis:

€5,500 basic grant plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs pupil enrolled in the school on the 30th of September of the year prior to the issue of the grant. The €74 rate applies to a special needs pupil attending a special school or attending a special class attached to a mainstream school.

Schools have the autonomy to use this funding for maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds. Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed to decide how best to use this funding to address their particular needs.

The works that can be undertaken under the Minor Works Grant Scheme include maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds, painting, improvement or replacement of mechanical and electrical services, the purchase of standard furniture and educational equipment, the purchase of floor coverings and window blinds, the purchase of IT related equipment, ventilation improvements, and enhancements to outdoor learning environments.

The Department's Planning & Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2025 in the context of its available funding. The timeline for the payment of the next tranche of grant funding will be confirmed in due course.

The Emergency Works Scheme ensures the availability of funding for urgent works to schools that need resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, that happens in sudden, unforeseen circumstances and requires immediate action, and if not corrected, would prevent the school, or part of it, from opening. The EWS operates on the basis of the minimal scope of works required to remedy an emergency situation. The EWS usually provides an interim solution until such time as a comprehensive solution can be provided under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS). As part of the minimal scope general maintenance and paining are not covered by EWS and it is open to schools to use their Minor Works Grant for such issues. Further information and how to apply can be found on the Gov.ie website or at gov - Emergency works (www.gov.ie)

Caretakers

As part of a package agreed with Fórsa, the trade union representing school secretaries and caretakers, following a series of engagements at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in 2022, the implementation of revised salary and annual leave entitlements for school secretaries is now fully operational, and lessons learned from that process are now playing a key role in the drafting and implementation of a similar deal to be offered to grant funded school caretakers.

The Department is committed to ensuring that school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of a similar package to that which was accepted by school secretaries in the near future. As the deal to be offered to caretakers, when agreed, will be similar to that implemented for school secretaries, it is not currently anticipated that the granting of public servant status, and the entitlements which arise therefrom, will form part of the proposal.

In the normal course, there are ongoing discussions with the public service unions on any and all matters relating to pay agreements. Any review of changes to the employment of school caretakers or other pay mechanisms, can occur only under those processes and any such proposals would need to be considered in detail by the Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the relevant unions.

Capitation Funding

The 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 the employment of relevant secretaries as per Circular 0036/2022.

The current standard rate of capitation grant is €200 per pupil in primary schools and €345 per student in post-primary schools.

Primary schools with fewer than 60 pupils are paid the capitation and the ancillary grants on the basis of having 60 pupils.

As part of the capitation package in Budget 2025 the Department is pleased to have secured over €30 million as a permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and longer term with increased day-to-day running costs. This represents an increase of circa 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates. This increase is on top of the circa 9.2% increase from last year’s budget. This will bring the standard rate of capitation grant to the level of €224 per pupil in primary schools and €386 per student in post-primary schools from September 2025. Enhanced rates will also be paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils. Schools should also ensure that they are availing of the available OGP procurement frameworks and getting best value for money for all school expenditure.

In addition to these grants, €45 million in cost-of-living supports issued in November 2024 to support all recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. This additional funding announced in Budget 2025 is designed to assist schools with increased day-to-day running costs such as heating and electricity. This funding was paid at a rate of €36 per pupil in primary schools and €55 per student in post-primary schools. Enhanced rates were also paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils.

The Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU), funded by the Department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on financial matters, including budgeting and cashflow management. Contact details for FSSU can be found on www.fssu.ie.