I am aware that my Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding under the additional school accommodation scheme from the school in question. The school applied in late 2024 for the additional school accommodation and for prefabs to be replaced. This is currently being assessed under the ASA scheme. This application seeks the replacement of accommodation that is 50 years old, as the Deputy said. I appreciate that this is an absolute priority for the school. Since 2020, my Department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the national development plan, involving the completion of over 1,375 school building projects. We are supporting investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, and it is delivering real benefits for school communities. A recent Government decision to approve €210 million in additional funding for my Department brings our allocation for this year to €1.6 billion. As part of the NDP review process, all Departments, including my own, are currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation with respect to NDP allocations for the period 2026 to 2030. Like every Department, I want to build on the capital funding we have and try to increase it further. It is expected that there will be clarity on these allocations over the course of the summer period, and this will allow my Department to plan its capital investment programme for next year right up to 2030 in line with prioritised needs and reflecting, as appropriate, wider Government priorities. Maximising existing capacity in schools to meet needs is very important. The progression of prioritised individual projects to meet the most urgent needs in the 2026 to 2030 period that cannot be met through existing capacity - while there is a huge amount of projects already under way - across schools in the local area will be considered on a rolling basis from autumn onwards after the NDP allocations are finalised. In respect of this project, we have to see what the overall allocation is for next year, and how we fit all the projects into it including the school in question. The school will be considered in that context. I do not have a timeline for the Deputy but it is being assessed. It will come in at the end of the year and we will look at it the same way as other projects in this context.
Sentiment score: 0.26
If anything needs to be clarified with the school, we will make sure that is the case and where work needs to be done, we will ensure this is made clear to the school. What is happening now is that the assessment is taking place, but this is something that will have to be looked at as part of the 2026-2030 overall budget. We do not have that absolute figure at the moment, so my Department is engaging with the Department of the Minister, Deputy Chambers, as is every other Department, to see what a revised NDP allocation would look like. Once those figures are understood, that will enable me, working with the Department and, in particular, the buildings unit, to look at what projects can and will take place in the years ahead. To outline the work being done in County Dublin alone now, construction projects worth €1.24 billion have happened in recent years. Some 302 projects were completed in those five years. Currently, 51 projects are under construction. There are 18 modular projects at an advanced stage of delivery and 73 different projects at various stages of detailed design included. While I absolutely appreciate this is a priority for the school given the length of time involved, we must ensure given the scale and number of projects we are able to provide resources and supports to as many schools as possible with the budget we have and that is being worked through now.
Sentiment score: 0.27
It has taken place-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
Yes.
Sentiment score: 0.40
Looking at the budget we have, my priority is to do several things. First and foremost, it is to ensure we have the capacity for students starting school in September this year and beyond and that we are forward planning. We still have a growing school population. While we know it is levelling out, in primary school numbers, and particularly in certain areas in Dublin, these numbers are still increasing. It is the same in my county of Meath and in the surrounding areas like County Kildare. We will continue to have an increasing population in our post-primary schools and this fact must be front and centre when we are making building plans. The second priority after that is ensuring we are replacing old buildings and prefabs, especially those that are not fit for purpose and have been there for as long as the Deputy mentioned. As we are negotiating and working on what that budget looks like now, I cannot give the Deputy a timeline. I can say the priority is to ensure we have places for students, we have new buildings where we need them and we are replacing accommodation that is not fit for purpose. This is certainly a project that will be a part of that conversation. It did go in at the end of last year. Obviously we want projects to move as quickly as possible, but this one is in the early stages. As I said, though, the priorities are to ensure we are providing places while also ensuring that buildings that are not fit for purpose are also replaced.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Tackling educational disadvantage and, in particular, supporting students who are most at risk or in need of support to achieve their full potential is a priority for me, for the Minister of State and for this Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of the 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 schoolbooks and free hot school meals. My Department invests over €180 million annually to provide additional supports to almost 1,200 schools in the DEIS programme and this supports approximately 260,000 students. One in four students is currently attending a DEIS school and getting those additional supports. I am determined to close the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools even further, because it has closed due to the introduction of this scheme, and to introduce more innovative solutions to tackle disadvantage. The programme itself has changed and opened up in the years since it was first introduced in September 2006. In 2017, it was extended to an additional 79 schools. It was then extended to 332 additional schools on top of that from September 2022. The Deputy mentioned that timeline. Included in those most recent expansions of the programme were the schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage. This was identified through a refined DEIS identification model. Schools could not apply but essentially had it applied to them. I know some schools could appeal based on information that they felt had not been updated or that they had provided. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion, as I said. The detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie. If we are to build on the expansion of the DEIS programme, and this is what we are doing now, I clearly said when I came into this Department that we wanted to introduce a new DEIS plan. It is in that context that any changes would potentially take place. I wish to ensure we have a programme that works for as many students as possible, is as targeted as possible and is applied in as fair a way as possible. Any changes to the application process or to the way it is applied that might allow newer schools in will have to be done as part of the new plan. It is intended that it will be published by the end of this year.
Sentiment score: 0.17
I thank the Deputy and appreciate the example she outlined. I know in some situations there may be two schools next to each other where one is included in DEIS and the other is not. Siblings from the same household might even be going to both schools. Because of the way the DEIS programme is applied now, it is based on the population in the school and it is possible to have differentiations. Even though students might be coming from three DEIS schools into another school, the overall make-up of the school may not hit the DEIS criteria or fit the bands or levels. I wish to ensure - it is difficult because there will always be somebody outside of the criteria that we have to put in place - that children in non-DEIS schools still get that support. This is really important in the context of the new DEIS plan, as is the case now. We have several pilots under way that involve schools getting the home school liaison and school completion programmes even though they are not designated as DEIS schools. It is about expanding this out. Historically, we know there are schools that had those positions even before the DEIS programme was in place. There is one in Navan, where I recently met students. The only reason those students are still in school and doing their leaving certificate is because of those positions. I hope the new plan will create as fair a system and structure as possible and also ensure that where schools are not designated, and some of them will not be, they can still get those targeted supports directly to the students who need them.
Sentiment score: 0.22
More broadly, I wish to highlight that the child poverty unit established by my former colleague and our former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, is still there in the Department of the Taoiseach. We continue to work together to look at ways in which we can support the most vulnerable. The DEIS programme is key to that. It is not just the new DEIS plan but also the DEIS plus scheme we have committed to in our programme for Government. Work is well under way in that regard. It is about ensuring we do everything possible to support those most acutely at risk, such as those suffering from intergenerational trauma and children who are not at school. As well as building on the DEIS plan that is being worked through the DEIS plus programme, I have announced a number of measures to deal with absenteeism. If our children are not in school, we cannot give them the support and every opportunity they need. It is really important we build on the positive work that is being done. Overall, it is about getting the supports to the children who need them. We will continue to have designated schools, but we will also continue to have children in schools that are not part of a DEIS programme. We need to ensure those children receive the resources as well. I am absolutely committed to working with everyone to make sure that happens.
Sentiment score: 0.29
The most recent figures available regarding school completion rates report on students who began their post-primary education in 2017. Of those students who entered first year in 2017, 90% sat the leaving certificate examination in 2022 or 2023. A total of 97.8% sat the junior certificate - now called the junior cycle - examination in 2020. While the latest retention rate to leaving certificate stage of 90% represents a decrease of one percentage point on the retention rate for the 2016 post-primary entry cohort, Ireland has one of the lowest rates of early school leavers in comparison with our European counterparts. Looking at the timelines, children who started in 2016 completed their leaving certificate or junior certificate during Covid times when there were no exams. Naturally, that led to a somewhat higher rate. A series of reports which record retention rate trends in post-primary schools over the past 26 years are available on the Department’s website. Of course, ensuring children remain in school as long as possible to undertake the leaving certificate and junior certificate is a priority for all of us. In addition to the universal supports available to schools, such as school guidance and well-being supports, there are targeted supports such as the school completion programme, which covers 783 schools with a total population in excess of 250,000 students, and the Traveller and Roma education strategy. I know from speaking to members of the Traveller and Roma communities recently that their focus is on the junior cycle rather than just the senior cycle, unfortunately. Those numbers are very challenging at the moment. We need to do everything we can to support those students, particularly those who are most at risk, in order that they stay at school and achieve the best they can. Those supports are a key part of our response to supporting those children. They work in tandem with other supports, including the home-school community liaison, HSCL, co-ordinators and the education welfare service under my Department’s DEIS programme. My Department, in conjunction with the Tusla education support service, TESS, is also undertaking a five-year plan to improve school attendance, as I mentioned. Those measures were introduced and announced recently. They are being rolled out. I wish to mention the Anseo programme, which is the new evidence-based framework to help schools analyse and respond to attendance data. This is central to everything we do. If we want children to stay in school to complete their exams, we need to make sure they are there in the first instance. That is feedback I am hearing strongly.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I fully agree. Our youth services have such an important role to play in supporting those who are most at risk and in dealing with issues of attendance and providing that support outside of school hours. When we talk about formal education, our youth services are the informal side of that in so many instances. That is why I welcome that the area of youth has now come into the same Department as education because there is a role for both areas to work hand in hand. My Department, which now has responsibility for youth services, will be rolling out new funding streams for the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme. They are important supports put in place throughout the country and administered through the ETBs. Each ETB will be able to apply for those supports and resources when the scheme opens. Similar to the situation in Offaly and Laois, Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, LMETB, encompasses Louth and Meath and, therefore, only has one application and will have a similar challenge. It is about building up the capacity in each county over time. Obviously, if we can benefit one county in an initial year, we will try to make sure those resources are spread as far as possible. I acknowledge the work many of our youth services and volunteers do. They play a significant role in supporting children outside of school hours. They often support those who are most vulnerable. They have a positive role to play when it comes to school completions, school attendance and supporting children overall.
Sentiment score: 0.38
In a lot of instances in the past, what happened with funding being provided was that we focused on specific projects because there had been specific needs in areas, whether they were related to drug abuse, crime, mental health or various different challenges that young people identified. What I want to ensure is that we are looking at the geographical spread. We know young people in rural areas are just as impacted as people in urban areas, although the issues might be different. The new programme and funding that will be announced will have a particular focus on geography to make sure we have that spread and that we are looking at counties and areas which might not have benefited to the tune or in the same way as some urban areas have in the past. That does not mean urban areas will be excluded. Obviously, it is about making sure everyone gets their fair share. I reiterate, and I agree with the Deputy, that our youth organisations have such an important role to play in identifying and supporting young people at the earliest stages possible in order that it does not get to the extreme situation where young people are engaged with youth diversion programmes or the youth justice system. We must support them at the earliest stage possible. As Minister, I want to make sure I can do that through as many different streams as possible. There are a lot of different organisations across different counties and we want all of them to benefit.
Sentiment score: 0.26
As part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting schools, I recently announced €65 million in minor works and ICT grants. This funding provides schools with flexibility to address small-scale infrastructure improvements and to invest in IT equipment and digital infrastructure. The minor works grant is provided on a standard flat rate plus a per capita basis. This provides the most straightforward and consistent basis for provision of the grant funding to all eligible schools. This approach allows schools to plan and carry out essential maintenance and improvement works, based on their own identified priorities. I recognise that some schools, particularly those in older buildings, may face more significant maintenance challenges. My Department is currently carrying out a national energy and condition survey of all schools. This is due for completion in 2026. The subsequent analysis of this data will help determine priorities going forward, including any potential future refinements to the minor works grant regime and provide a strengthened evidence base for an effective prioritisation of capital investment. This will form part of broader planning by my Department of capital investment in schools for the period 2026-30 in line with prioritised needs and reflecting, as appropriate, wider Government priorities, informed by NDP allocations once they are known. In the interim, schools can engage with my Department through the relevant application-based capital schemes. I recently announced a new climate action summer works scheme and the application process for this scheme is currently open for all schools, with a closing date for receipt of applications of 30 June. I would say to schools if they are looking to apply to get it in by 30 June. The emergency works scheme also remains available as required to address very urgent issues. A review is happening which will give a really good sense of the state our school buildings are in. We committed to a minor works grant in the programme for Government. If we can change, adapt or amend it so that the schools which need more funding through that grant get it, we will be able to do that once we have that information. However, it will be next year before we have all that information.
Sentiment score: 0.31
To clarify on ICT, we gave a commitment as part of the overall strategy that we would provide €200 million to schools over the lifetime of the strategy. What had been provided to date was two amounts of €50 million but they were not exactly every year so they were spaced out. I want to make sure that every year schools get the grant, that they know they are getting it and how much. The €35 million is for this year. I want to make sure there is a further €35 million next year and the following year. Schools are telling me that they want to know they are getting it and how much they are getting. It is not a reduction and I want to make that clear to schools. The intention is very much that it be the same next year as opposed to the end of next year or into the year after. I appreciate that schools are under pressure and that there are challenges for schools with increased costs as there are with any businesses, homes or any other body or organisation. That is why there have been increases in the budget in the last number of years. The capitation that was announced in the last week for the upcoming September has meant it has gone from €200 to €224 per student. I appreciate that is not what people are looking for and they want more. It is very much my intention, as set out in the programme for Government, to increase that even further in the upcoming budget negotiations. Obviously that has to be worked through.
Sentiment score: 0.22
I want to stress that the Department is there and available to engage with schools. While we have seen an increase in the number of people coming to the FSSU it is not to the level that we are hearing more broadly. I encourage schools which may be in difficulty and have a challenging time ahead with their finances to engage with the Department. The DEIS grants and status mean that students and schools get an increased rate for various things and increased supports but I appreciate that is often not enough. The commitment in the programme for Government is very clear. We will continue to increase capitation. In this month alone, the level for primary school will increase to €224 and will also increase for post-primary students to €386. That is an increase in primary alone of €30 million in the last year. My intention is to make sure in the years ahead we continue to increase that capitation. We also need to find ways in which we can save money for schools. For the 28 schools announced this week where over €80 million will be spent on retrofitting, that will help reduce their overall energy costs. That is why it is really important. The summer works scheme is focusing solely on environment and climate because that helps bring down the bills. We need to support schools in looking at insurance and other costs. That is something I am looking at currently.
Sentiment score: 0.39
The DEIS programme is a key policy of the Department to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. The Tusla education support service, TESS, is under the remit of my Department and has three strands: the statutory Educational Welfare Service, EWS, the home school community liaison scheme and the school completion programme. These all work extremely well and support a huge number of students every year. The scheme is an important support under DEIS, promoting partnership between parents, teachers and community family support services. All DEIS urban primary and all DEIS post-primary schools are included in the scheme. It is delivered by 528 full-time home school liaison co-ordinators, who are teachers in these schools and assigned to these duties either in individual schools or in clusters of schools. None of those 528 posts are currently vacant. The primary role of the EWS is to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. Educational welfare officers are based throughout the country and work with children, young people and their families who are experiencing difficulty with school attendance. The main priority of the work is around the educational welfare of children and to ensure that concerns around attendance are addressed before attendance becomes a crisis issue. Currently there are 153 EWOs operating across the six Tusla regions, including 23 EWOs who provide services to the most vulnerable children, such as children in care, and five temporary EWO posts allocated to trial innovative approaches to supporting attendance. I have met them. They are people who literally go out and stand outside children’s bedroom doors to make sure they are supported to come in to school. They do really excellent work. A national EWO recruitment campaign took place in February 2025 from which all vacant EWO posts are currently being filled. All of the posts are filled or being filled. The funding is there and we need to make sure they are in place where they are not as soon as possible. Any increases to overall capacity will be considered in the context of the budgetary process in my Department. We have spoken a lot about the DEIS programme and a new DEIS plan. This is about making sure we keep what we have that works well. I cannot commend enough the work of the home school liaison co-ordinators, teams and the educational welfare officers. What we need is more of them and that is very much my intention.
Sentiment score: 0.18