Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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503. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a school (details supplied) can expect a response regarding stage 2A of its new school build project. [61330/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at Stage 2(a) of Architectural Planning – Developed Design, where the preferred design option is developed to a stage where the project can be fully cost planned, and prepared to lodge for statutory approvals.

The brief for this project is to provide 12 Mainstream Classrooms plus 1 Speech & Language Classes along with 3 classrooms for children with Special Educational Needs and all associated site works.

My Department has reviewed the Stage 2(a) Submission. The Stage 2(a) Stakeholders meeting between the School Authorities, Design Team, Project Manager, and my Department, was held in November 2024. The meeting concluded with a request for the Design Team to submit a Stage 2(a) Addendum report addressing issues raised by my Department at the meeting.

My Department has received this information and are currently reviewing the Stage 2(a) Addendum report which is nearing completion.

In July the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation my department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. It is planned that circa 80 school building projects will progress to construction across 2026 and 2027 as part of a 2-year rolling programme.

All Government departments are expected to publish their sectoral NDP Implementation Plans in November. My department’s plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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504. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the school completion programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61334/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Reducing the level of school absenteeism is a key priority for me as Minister. As a key support under my departments Delivering Equality of Opportunity in School programme (DEIS), the School Completion Programme (SCP) is an integral part of the DEIS plan and will continue to play a critical role in supporting children of school going age to stay in school for longer and to tackle rising rates of absenteeism.

The new DEIS Strategy will be published this year, which will include the DEIS plus scheme. The new Strategy 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.

It is my intention that this work will strengthen the greater integration of the supports provided to address educational disadvantage and will support those children and young people most at risk of early school leaving.

A review of the SCP conducted by the ESRI in 2024 was overwhelmingly positive and has highlighted the continued improvements over the past decade. Findings of the report also highlighted areas for further development, including weaknesses in the current employment and governance arrangements, these recommendations are being actively considered by my department.

Work to develop a new employment framework for SCP is currently underway. To support this work, a dedicated SCP Reform Project Team has been established within my department to provide strategic leadership and sustained momentum for the planned reform. The work of the team is being conducted in partnership with Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) who hold operational responsibility for the programme. The work is supported by a number of internal and external stakeholder representatives who actively participate in the governance structures established to oversee this important work.

The first phase of this work identified a preferred employment model for the 121 projects. This preferred solution will promote a more robust, consistent and integrated service and will also facilitate integration with other services, particularly the other two strands of TESS, namely the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL) and the Educational Welfare Service (EWS). This strong integration aims to ensure an efficient and effective local response.

My Department continues to maintain open and constructive communication with all stakeholders and a series of information briefing sessions for LMC chairpersons and SCP Co-ordinators is scheduled to take place in Sligo, Laois, Dublin and Cork during November.