Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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56. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of the financial difficulty a national school (details supplied) is experiencing; if she will takes steps to provide funding to address the deficit; is she aware that many schools throughout the country are in this situation often relying on fundraising and parents’ donations in an effort to plug gaps or funding deficits; her views on schools’ need to fundraise to cover, for example, essential repairs and maintenance, and the time that is diverted to this work that could be better invested in the education of children; the steps she is taking to address these matters; if she will commit to removing this fundraising burden from school principals as a matter of priority; if she will streamline, simplify and commit to easing the significant amounts of time principals spend in having to fight for basic supports and therapies, SNAs and SET hours to provide for those in AS and mainstream classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57476/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs.

The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years. As part of the capitation package in Budget 2026, I am pleased that a total of €39m was secured for a permanent increase in mainstream capitation grant funding for schools, increasing the mainstream rate of capitation to €274 per pupil in primary schools and to €406 in post-primary schools for the 2026/2027 school year. Over the last three Budgets this has resulted in an increase in the level of capitation rates of 49.7% (€91) paid to primary schools and 28.5% (€90) paid to post-primary schools. This will also allow for an increase of €20 in capitation rates for Urban Band One DEIS primary schools, increasing the mainstream pupil rate in these schools to €294. The increased capitation rates will also see special schools now receive the same rates of capitation for young people aged 12 and over, as their peers in mainstream post-primary schools.

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 €224 per pupil in primary schools and €386 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. Enhanced rates are also paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils.

The Minor Works Grant is provided to all primary and special schools, to enable them to undertake small-scale minor maintenance and improvement works on a devolved basis.??

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 the school’s particular needs.??

The works that can be undertaken under the minor works scheme include maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds, repairs and painting, improvement or replacement of mechanical and electrical services, the purchase or repair of standard furniture and PE equipment, the purchase of IT equipment, ventilation improvements, and enhancements to outdoor learning environments.

Since 2020, €310 million in Minor Works Grants and Enhanced Minor Works Grants have been allocated to schools. This includes the payment of Minor Works Grants totalling almost €30 million for the school year 2025/2026, which issued in June 2025.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for children with special educational needs. Any school who has concerns about the level of their special education teaching (SET) or special needs assistants (SNA) allocation should contact their local special education needs organiser.

The NCSE will assess the level of need within the school as a whole and this is critical to ensure that the learning and care needs of the entire school are identified and that the school is resourced to meet this identified need. There continues to be separate allocations for mainstream and special classes in individual schools. When the NCSE completes the review and if additional support is identified as being required it will be provided.

The NCSE carried out a record number of reviews in 2025 to ensure that children who most needed support could access it. This will continue for 2025/26 school year.

Schools in financial difficulty are encouraged to contact my Department for advice and support. The Department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to schools, which may include an advance in capitation grant funding or other measures.

The Department is constantly engaging with a number of schools in this respect. Schools that have contacted the Department have been referred to the FSSU. Officials from the Department will make contact with the school. We encourage your school to engage with the FSSU, and your school’s Patron, in order to work to rectify the financial challenges at the school. 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 - www.fssu.ie.

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 accordance with Circular 0060/2013. Schools Procurement Unit (SPU), funded by the Department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on procurement matters – www.spu.ie.