Tony McCormack (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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379. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the current funding allocation to the Edenderry school completion programme, which receives €25,000 annually, the majority of which is absorbed by staffing and rent costs, leaving little to no resources for direct student support; and if she will consider providing additional funding to ensure that meaningful interventions and supports can be delivered to students in need. [33582/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Education & Youth, I am very conscious of the need to ensure our schools are supported enabling them to maximise teaching and learning outcomes for all students. It is vitally important that our education system is one in which every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.

The School Completion Programme (SCP) is funded by my department via Tulsa Education Support Service (TESS) and is a central element of the DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) programme, a key policy initiative of my department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level, in a targeted and equitable way, across the primary and post-primary sector.

TESS have operational responsibility for the programme, with local projects operating under the management and direction of a Local Management Committee (LMC). The LMC is responsible for the oversight of the project delivery at local level, including the use of project resources, employment of staff, and accountability for public funds.

Since my department took over responsibility for SCP in January 2021, the programme has seen an annual increase in funding. For 2025 the total allocation for the programme is just under €37m.

Edenderry School Completion Programme delivers a programme of work to support students who are at risk of early school leaving and students at school-going age who are not currently attending school. For the 2024/2025 academic year Edenderry School Completion Programme received funding totalling €252,132.72. The Budget allocation which includes pay awards for the 2025/2026 academic year will be €257,857.89.

My 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.

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.

As Minister, 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.