Written Answers Nos. 224-243
224. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth to simplify the tendering protocol for the free schoolbooks scheme to allow wider access to the scheme for independent bookstores; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36825/25]
View answerAs you are aware in early February, I announced details of the final phase of the ground-breaking scheme which provides free schoolbooks to all children and young people in the Free Education Scheme. From September 2025, over 940,000 children and young people will benefit from the Primary and Post-primary Schoolbooks Schemes. The investment of up to €123 million in 2025 significantly increases the funding that is currently provided for schoolbooks and introduces a free schoolbooks scheme to Senior Cycle years in all post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme.
My Department has published guidance documents for schools around the operation of both the primary and post-primary schoolbooks schemes, in continued engagement with stakeholders. The guidance contains information that highlights the importance of schools engaging with bookshops and booksellers proactively to ensure a smooth implementation of the schemes. It draws attention to the role that the Office of Government Procurement plays in promoting schemes to facilitate Small and Medium sized Enterprise (SME) participation in Public Procurement and includes direct reference to DPER Circular 05/2023 that refers to initiatives to assist SMEs in Public Procurement.
Schools, like other organisations that receive public sector funding have obligations that stem from both EU and national public procurement rules when sourcing goods and services. The schoolbooks scheme does not place any additional responsibilities upon schools that are not already in legislation. My Department is aware that these procurement obligations presented a challenge to schools implementing the scheme in 2024. In response to these challenges experienced by schools and management bodies, my Department in conjunction with the Education Procurement Service (EPS) and the Schools Procurement Unit (SPU) developed a dynamic purchasing system to assist Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive Schools meet their public procurement obligations from 2025 onwards.
A dynamic purchasing system (DPS), is an electronic method of procurement, used for the supply of goods and/or services. It is different to traditional procurement routes as it operates an ‘open market’ for suppliers to join either constantly or very frequently. The DPS is hosted on the eTenders web platform, www.etenders.gov.ie. In the schoolbooks DPS, the country is divided into 21 geographical lots, with one additional Lot for eBooks. Schools must tender for suppliers within their approved lot. Schoolbooks suppliers can apply to be admitted to a maximum of 12 lots, allowing local schoolbooks suppliers to apply for contracts with schools in their designated Lot.
This lotting structure ensures a balance between the local bookshop and the national supplier, as well as ensuring competition and value for money for all lots and schools across the country.
Any bookshop can apply for admittance to the DPS for the supply of schoolbooks, including eBooks, to Community & Comprehensive, and Voluntary Secondary Schools (excluding ETB schools) within the free education scheme, once they meet the criteria. In relation to ETB schools, in the ETB sector there is a centralised ETB framework for the purchase of schoolbooks and schoolbook procurement is carried out centrally by each ETB.
My Department engaged with suppliers late in 2024 encouraging suppliers to apply to join the DPS to maximise the number of suppliers available. My Department also engaged with school principals and management bodies at several fora to encourage the school community to engage with suppliers or bookshops with whom they had an existing relationship to ensure that the maximum number of suppliers could be available to schools.
Officials in my department have met with Bookselling Ireland on a number of occasions and will continue to engage with Bookselling Ireland, as part of the ongoing evaluation of the scheme.
225. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review a school’s (details supplied) SNA allocation given it is inadequate to meet the needs of children attending the school; if she will allow an appeal to be progressed as soon as possible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36842/25]
View answerThis government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs, including the allocation of special needs assistants (SNAs). The NCSE has advised my department that all schools have been informed of their SNA allocation for the 2025/26 school year.
As the NCSE is responsible for the allocation of SNAs to schools, I have forwarded the school's details to them for their attention and direct reply.
Deputies are also welcome to raise such matters with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie.
It is open to any school which feels like it has insufficient SNA support to meet the needs of its students to submit to the NCSE a request seeking a review of its allocation. Detailed information on the NCSE's SNA review process is published on the NCSE's website: ncse.ie/sna-review-mainstream
My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
226. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that some secondary schools are encouraging parents to incur financial debt by requiring the purchase of specific iPads, which cost on average €600; if she is further aware that these schools stipulate the exact make and model, limiting open market choice, and in many cases are directing parents to local credit unions to take out loans for this purpose; and if she will outline the steps she is taking to monitor and regulate such practices, to protect families from unnecessary financial strain. [36852/25]
View answerUnder the Education Act, the Boards of Management of Schools have responsibility for the day to day management of schools. Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is therefore a matter for the Board of Management of each school in the context of their digital learning planning. Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community including parents when planning for the introduction of digital technologies including devices with cost and other implications being fully considered by the Boards of Managements before a decision is made.
Schools, in conjunction with parents, are responsible for decisions on the use of digital technology, including tablet devices, laptops, and learning platforms, and how best to manage their integration into classroom practice reflective of their own context and requirements.
Oide-Technology in Education (the area within my department's support service for teachers specialising in digital technology in teaching and learning, formerly PDST-TiE) offer advice and supports to schools on digital learning. Advice sheets are available on digital technology in education, including on the adoption of laptops and tablets in schools.
It is the responsibility of each individual school to select the resources, if any, that it will use to support its implementation of the curriculum. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and my Department do not endorse or recommend particular materials or resources. This includes text books, e-Books, digital devices and so on.
I am keenly aware of the challenges faced by educators and parents in relation to costs of digital technology, including tablets, and my Department continues to work to help support schools and families meet these costs. As referenced, in 2017, a circular letter issued to schools with measures to be adopted to reduce the cost of school uniforms and other costs including such ICT devices. See: assets.gov.ie/12695/2045e7ccec684f72b55d93930e45372c.pdf
That circular also instructed schools to consult with parents and their school community on the issue of ensuring costs are reasonable for parents, and how to avoid costs acting as a barrier. This circular specified that wherever possible, generic rather than branded items should be specified (e.g. uniform, clothing, IT tablets, sports equipment etc.).
The Circular provides that schools should also consult with parents on their views and suggestions on cost reduction initiatives. Schools should provide parents with a list of all required items and indicate the likely costs of these required items at best value stores. Where an exclusive supply arrangement applies, it should be reviewed regularly and tendered for in accordance with procurement requirements.
As a mechanism to support school communities, the Charter Bill, which is being progressed through the Houses of the Oireachtas, aims to improve the level of collaboration between members of the school community by inviting feedback, comment and observation from the school community and by further developing a listening culture in schools. One of the key concepts of the Bill is the need for a school to consult with students and their parents on individual school plans, policies and activities, including in relation to school costs.
The OGP and HEAnet, as well as my Department, have established framework of providers of digital devices including tablets, pcs and laptops, with appropriate specifications, agreed pricing, and levels of service, as well as providing framework management. Schools are encouraged to avail of these frameworks which will enable them to comply with procurement requirements and achieve agreed, transparent, pricing.
Back-to-school costs can be a burden for many families. Removing the cost of schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks in primary schools from the start of the 2023/24 school year has been shown to be a huge step in addressing the cost of sending children to school. €47 million is allocated in 2024 to continue implementation of the schoolbooks scheme at primary level. Further funding of over €67 million is allocated to provide free schoolbooks and classroom resources for Junior Cycle students in recognised post-primary schools in the free scheme for the 2024/25 school year. This will benefit approximately 212,000 Junior Cycle students and add to the 563,000 pupils in primary and special schools who benefited from this initiative in the current school year.
The Digital Strategy for Schools 2027, which builds on the progress made under the previous Digital Strategy, is underpinned by an investment of some €200m included in the National Development Plan 2021-2030 providing continuity of funding following the €210m that issued to schools to support the previous strategy. To date, €135m in ICT Grant funding under the Digital Strategy to 2027 has issued to schools from the NDP commitment. The funding issues directly to schools as schools are best placed to identify the requirements of their own student cohort and to meet those requirements in accordance with their digital learning planning. This can include the purchase of ICT devices such as tablets, hybrid devices, or laptops, and the implementation of loan schemes for same if needed.
227. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that despite the Department’s circulars advising schools to reduce the cost of school uniforms by avoiding the use of branded or crested items, many primary and secondary schools continue to require expensive branded uniforms that can only be purchased from a single designated supplier, thereby limiting affordability and competition; and if she will confirm what enforcement mechanisms or follow-up actions are in place to ensure schools comply with the Department’s cost-reduction guidelines. [36853/25]
View answerDecisions on school uniforms are a matter for individual schools and Boards of Management.
My department issued Circular 0032/2017, which sets out the principles of cost-effective practice to be adopted by schools to reduce the cost of returning to school.
Under these measures, schools were advised that they should select school uniform items which are generic and can be purchased from a range of retailers. Only "iron on" or "sew on" crests should be used.
Schools should provide parents with a list of all required items and indicate the likely costs of these required items at best value stores. Where an exclusive supply arrangement applies, it should be tendered for regularly. Schools should also consult with parents as to their views on how to reduce costs.
I have committed in Education Plan 2025 to commence work in 2025 to review Circular 32/2017. A revised circular will put a greater emphasis on reducing costs for parents.
228. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth when physical work will start on the new permanent building for a school (details supplied); the timeline for completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36864/25]
View answerThe major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered as part of my department’s Design & Build Programme and will deliver a new school building to accommodate 1,000 post-primary school pupils plus accommodation for students with special educational needs.
Planning Permission was granted in January 2025. The prequalification process to establish a shortlist of suitably qualified contractors is currently underway. This is a preliminary step in the procurement of contractors, and it is currently anticipated this project will proceed to tender to that shortlist during Q4 2025.
As part of the NDP Review process, all departments, including my department, are currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation with respect to NDP allocations for the period 2026-2030. 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 the 2026 to 2030 period in line with prioritised needs and reflecting, as appropriate, wider Government priorities. 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 across schools in the local area will be considered on a rolling basis from Autumn onwards after the NDP allocations are finalised.
My Department will keep the school and the patron body updated as the project progresses.
229. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth when LMETB will start the physical work to develop the new LMETH head office building in Drogheda, as per a decision taken by Government twelve years ago; if approval of a report referred to in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 622 of 23 July 2024, has been sanctioned; the date on when this occurred; if the project has been approved to go to tender stage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36865/25]
View answerThe project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB).
The project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural planning process. This stage involves obtaining all statutory approvals, preparing a set of fully detailed Tender documents, and preparing an accurate pre-tender cost plan.
My Department manages the progression of the existing pipeline of projects within available budgets and in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines. As for all capital projects of this nature, this project is subject to the due diligence required under the Public Infrastructure Guidelines.
At this juncture, it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion of the project however my Department will continue to engage with LMETB in relation to this important project.
230. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total amount spent since 2013 on work connected to the planned new LMETB head office building in Drogheda for each accounting year from 2013 to date in 2025 inclusive, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36866/25]
View answerThe project referred to by the Deputy, has been devolved for delivery to Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB).
The project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural planning process. This stage involves obtaining all statutory approvals, preparing a set of fully detailed Tender documents, and preparing an accurate pre-tender cost plan.
The Department manages the progression of the existing pipeline of projects within available budgets and in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines. As for all capital projects of this nature, this project is subject to the due diligence required under the Public Infrastructure Guidelines. Due to the current stage of this project, it is not possible to provide the financial information requested due to commercial sensitivities.
231. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will make it mandatory for those training to become a primary or secondary school teacher to complete one work placement in a special school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36879/25]
View answerThis government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016.
A range of options are available to teachers in regard to training opportunities in special education. These are provided within initial teacher education (ITE) programmes for student teachers and teacher professional learning (TPL) programmes for established teachers. The programmes provided include flexible on-line opportunities right through to funding for post-graduate programmes for special education teachers.
In addition, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) offer full school support to all staff and provide support for teachers with training needs in special education, through the NCSE support service which manages, co-ordinates and develops a range of supports in response to identified teacher training need. The NCSE has also secured the services of Middletown Centre for Autism to deliver support to school staff in special classes for children with autism.
A host of skills and teaching approaches are required every day by teachers in their classrooms. The NCSE support service is vital in this regard to ensuring teachers have the training needed to support all students to ensure no matter where a child is enrolled, they are supported and provided the opportunity to reach their full potential. It is open to any school who feels it has a training need to contact the NCSE and arrange training.
My colleague, Minister McEntee, recently wrote to the Teaching Council to begin work on making it mandatory for all student teachers to undertake one mandatory school placement in a special education setting. This is a key development and should help to ensure newly qualified teachers have the necessary skills and experience to support children with additional needs.
My department and the NCSE are committed to looking at further options to enhance training and supports for teachers and SNAs over the coming period and through the next budgetary cycle.
232. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider providing a new Teaching Council registration pathway to allow Montessori-trained teachers and those who hold recognised qualifications and have strong experience in child-centred education to gain registration, in order to address the shortage of teachers in special education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36881/25]
View answerThe Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 - www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2001/act/8/enacted/en/html - and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016, www.teachingcouncil.ie/assets/uploads/2023/08/revised-teaching-council-registration-regulations-2016.pdf. There are five routes of registration, the minimum registration requirements for each route are set out in the Schedule of the Regulations.
Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State.
It is the Council’s responsibility to ensure that all teachers entering the profession in Ireland have met the required standards. These standards have been established following extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, research, and in accordance with Department of Education policies and priorities and developed over a number of years.
The St. Nicholas Montessori College degree in Montessori Education had long-standing recognition with the Department of Education (DE) and was subsequently amalgamated into the Council’s Registration Regulations under Route 4. Since the making of the 2016 Regulations and the development of registration regulations, standards for initial teacher education and accreditation of programmes of initial teacher education, the phasing out of recognition for the Montessori qualification under Route 4 has been implemented.
Route 4 formerly provided for applicants who had obtained the level 8 Bachelor of Education in Montessori Education from St Nicholas Montessori College, which was commenced on or before 1 October 2018 and completed on or before 31 December 2023, to apply for registration up until 31 December 2023. This provision which was subject to extensive consultation with all relevant stakeholders is now closed.
It had been known that this was being phased out with a clear timeframe for same, which outlines that the qualification was only acceptable for registration under Route 4 Other where the application was made on or before 31 December 2023.
All initial teacher education programmes in Ireland that lead to registration must have professional accreditation from the Teaching Council. The course being referred to in this query, was not a course of primary initial teacher education. At the time, St Nicholas’s did not seek to offer any other course of primary initial education.
The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 - www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2004/act/30/enacted/en/html - provides that people with special educational needs are educated in an inclusive environment, as far as possible and have the same right to access and benefit from education as children who don’t have these needs.
The Teaching Council has published Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education - www.teachingcouncil.ie/assets/uploads/2023/08/ceim-standards-for-initial-teacher-education.pdf, which set out the requirements which all programmes of qualification for teaching in Ireland must meet in order to gain accreditation from the Teaching Council. It is also a benchmark for anybody seeking to register as a teacher in Ireland.
Céim includes core elements that ITE programmes must contain, including Inclusive Education: which "includes the fostering of appropriate learning environments, including digital ones, which support the development of student teachers’ ability to provide for the learning needs of all pupils by utilising, for example, a universal design for learning framework." This is intended to provide the foundational competencies teachers will need in order to teach in SEN settings.
There are a number of Graduate and Post-graduate Diplomas in the field of Special Education which are approved by the Department of Education and can be used to add this sector to a teacher’s registration where the teacher also holds an accredited teacher education qualification.
The Teaching Council works within Department policy and central to this policy is that all teachers teaching children with Special Educational Needs should be qualified Primary or Post-Primary teachers in the first instance and may then apply for one of the DE recognised qualifications in Special Educational Needs as outlined in Circular 0044/2019: www.teachingcouncil.ie/assets/uploads/2023/08/ceim-standards-for-initial-teacher-education.pdf
233. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider changing the criteria of the capitation grant for special schools to consider all school staff or the square meter area of the school premises, in order to provide special school to receive a greater amount under the grant to meet their day-to-day costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36883/25]
View answerThe 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, including an over €30 million permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and longer term with increased day-to-day running costs through Budget 2025. This represents an increase of circa 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates. Over the last two Budgets there has been a circa 22% increase in the level of capitation grant rates paid to schools.
The Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools, including special 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.
In addition to these grants, €45 million in cost-of-living supports issued in November 2024 to support all recognised 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. Schools should also ensure that they are availing of the available OGP procurement frameworks and getting best value for money for all school expenditure.
The Department of Education is aware that costs and funding can pose a problem for schools, and is constantly working to address this matter, and to enhance the financial and other supports available to schools. While not wishing to pre-empt the outcomes of any future Budget negotiations or fiscal parameters agreed by Government, the Department of Education will continue to seek and prioritise the funding required to meet the ongoing costs of running schools. The funding requirements of special schools will be prioritised for consideration in this regard.
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 cash-flow management. Contact details for FSSU can be found on www.fssu.ie.
My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
234. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider extending the €74 per-pupil allocation under the minor works grant in special schools to also take account of teacher and SNA numbers, in order to better reflect the resource needs of special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36884/25]
View answerMy department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. The Minor Works Grant is provided to all primary and special schools, to enable them undertake small-scale minor maintenance and improvement works on a devolved basis.
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 the school’s particular needs.
Since 2020, €310 million in Minor Works Grants and Enhanced Minor Works Grants have issued to schools. This includes the payment of Minor Works Grants totalling almost €30 million for the school year 2025/2026, which issued in June.
Any changes to the Minor Works Grant will receive consideration in the context of my department’s NDP allocations. As part of the NDP Review process, all departments, including my department, are currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform with respect to NDP allocations for the period 2026-2030. 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 the 2026 to 2030 period in line with prioritised needs and reflecting, as appropriate, wider Government priorities.
235. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will provide funding to a school (details supplied) to provide for a sunken trampoline that was recommended by the occupational therapist and physiotherapist; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36885/25]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware my department supports schools through funding from the furniture & equipment scheme (F&E) to have sufficient appropriate furniture and equipment to meet the needs of the vast majority of children. However, as the furniture and equipment needs of some children are highly sensitive and individualised, these applications for funding are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
For this small cohort of children, part of the application process requires the submission of an Occupational Therapist’s (OT) report which details the individual requirements of a child, and the associated furniture and equipment needs.
It is not always possible to fund individual sensory and therapeutic items, as some of the items recommended by an OT are outside the current remit of the scheme. It should be noted that a sunken trampoline does not fall within the remit of the F&E scheme and therefore would not be funded by my department.
236. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider providing an assistant principal 1 to all special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36886/25]
View answerI recognise the key role of school leadership in improving educational outcomes by creating a positive school climate and environment as well as motivating and empowering educators and learners within their school communities.
The Sectoral Bargaining process under Building Momentum for the primary sector has been used to increase posts of responsibility (POR) in primary and special schools by 1,450 posts.
The last two budgets have provided for an additional 1,000 posts of responsibility at both primary level and post-primary level. 500 AP II posts were allocated to primary schools in the 2024/25 school year. For the 2025/26 school year, the equivalent of 500 AP II posts are being distributed as 110 AP I and 251 AP II for the purposes of fully restoring all PORs in primary schools.
All special schools also now benefit from the appointment of administrative deputy principals since the start of this school year. These posts are making a real difference in schools in terms of assisting with leadership and management functions and supporting learning, parental and community engagement.
A revised Post of Responsibility Schedule issued to schools recently to reflect the increase in posts of responsibility available to schools for the coming school year.
Any further additionality would have to be considered as part of the annual budgetary process.
237. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider renaming the leave of absence following assault scheme to more appropriately reflect the complex and unintentional nature of incidents in special education settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36887/25]
View answerThe Leave of Absence following Assault Scheme, which is contained in the department’s Circular Letter 0061/2017 for teachers and Circular Letter 0062/2017 for SNAs, provides for special leave with pay (subject to specified limits) to a teacher/SNA who is unable to perform their duties due to a physical injury following an assault that happened in the course of their duties and during approved school activities.
As set out in the circulars, assault is defined as physical contact from a third party causing physical injury to a teacher or SNA in the course of their duties and during approved school activities. The third party can, for example be a student, a parent or a member of staff who causes a physical injury to the teacher or SNA as a result of physical contact. The circular does not require that there be an intent to cause a physical injury, or that it be established that there was an intent to cause a physical injury, merely that there was physical contact from a third party which caused an injury to the teacher or SNA.
In March 2025, the department commenced a review on the current terms and conditions of the Leave of Absence following Assault Scheme for teachers and SNAs. This review involves negotiations with the Education Partners, whereby Management Bodies and the relevant Trade Unions are given the opportunity to provide comments and observations on the current scheme. Following this consultation with the Education Partners, comments and observations will be considered as the process advances.
As with current practice, any amendments to the terms and conditions of employment for teachers and SNAs are normally outlined by way of a Circular Letter, following these detailed consultations and negotiations with the Education Partners.
The Department has established a working group to develop guidelines for schools on the prevention and management of challenging behaviour, where such behaviour poses imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others within the school environment. The guidelines, titled "Understanding Behaviours of Concern and Responding to Crisis Situations Guidelines for Schools in Supporting Students" are contained in Circular 81/2024.
238. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will allow for special school staff such as caretakers, cleaners and bus escorts to be paid under the online claims system, in order to reduce the administrative burden on schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36888/25]
View answerThe Department recognises the vitally important role of Caretakers, Cleaners and Bus Escorts within school communities, as a key link between students, school leaders and other staff, ensuring that both the caretaking and cleaning needs of the school are met, and that children with additional needs are escorted safely on buses. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable.
The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaking, cleaning services and bus escort needs under relevant grant schemes. Where a school employs a staff member to support those functions those staff are not public servants but employees of individual schools and responsibility for terms of employment rests with the school.
Since September 2023 my department has been providing a payroll service for former grant funded school secretaries. This happened on foot of an Agreement reached in 2022, under the auspices of the WRC, that secretaries would move to a centralised pay roll managed by the Department and receive new terms and conditions of employment. The Department is committed to ensuring that school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of a similar package to that offered to school secretaries in the near future. There are currently no plans to offer a similar agreement to cleaners and bus escorts.
Boards of Management/ETBs are responsible for the employment of School Transport Escorts. Grant funding issues yearly in advance to schools requiring this support, based on a reconciliation process that is carried out during the summer months, and on the rate of pay which is determined by the department. Once sanction has been sought in advance, additional funding can be provided for the employment of new escorts during the year, or where existing escorts are working longer hours due to route extensions.
An administration charge is also payable to each school, calculated based on 5% of the hours worked by the escorts employed by the school. This charge is intended to assist schools in defraying the cost of administering the employment of escorts in their school. It is a matter for the Board of Management/ETB to decide how this is utilised. A new Information Note on School Transport Escorts has recently been circulated to schools and is also available on the School Transport website on: www.gov.ie/schooltransport
The On-Line Claims System (OLCS) facilitates recording of staff absences (illness, parental leave, force majeure, etc.), claims for substitute cover, submission of claims to payroll for processing, and ensuring claims comply with Department circulars and entitlements, for staff who are on a payroll administered by the department. The OLCS feeds into the Department’s payroll systems and is not a stand-alone service. As Caretakers, Cleaners and Bus Escorts are grant funded and are paid directly by the Board of Management of the school with which they work, or by an ETB, the relevant school/ETB retains statutory responsibility for recording payment of wages and associated employee information such as absences.
239. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will allow for special schools to receive a substitute teacher when a teacher takes self-certified sick leave; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36889/25]
View answerMy Department’s Circular Letter 0013/2024 details the agreed terms and conditions of the Sick Leave Scheme for primary and post primary teachers.
Regarding ‘Self-Certified Sick Leave’, the employer may appoint a substitute teacher paid by my Department, except for the first day of absence.
In a primary school with two or less mainstream teachers, the employer may appoint a substitute paid by my Department for the first day of a teacher’s absence on ‘Self-Certified Sick Leave’.
In any primary school, where two or more teachers are absent on the first day of ‘Self-Certified Sick Leave’, on the same day, the employer may appoint a substitute paid by my Department for the second and subsequent teachers.
In post primary schools, all ‘Self-Certified Sick Leave’ absences should be covered through the Supervision and Substitution Scheme as outlined in Circular 0006/2014: assets.gov.ie/13371/8d86870803ae4d92bc4363f209ccf13a.pdf#page=null
Any changes to the current substitution provision available to teachers would widen the scope of the current leave schemes in place and would be considered cost-increasing in nature.
The Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) forms part of the Scheme of Conciliation and Arbitration for Teachers, the purpose of which is to provide a forum for claims and proposals relating to the salary, and other terms and conditions of service for teachers. The Council is comprised of representatives from the Teacher Unions, the School Management Bodies, the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and the Department of Education and Youth. The TCC is independently chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission.
It is currently not intended to amend the existing provisions covering 'Self-Certified Sick Leave'.
240. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will conduct a review into the school transport requirements from Ballon, County Carlow to a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36902/25]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth.
Bus Éireann has confirmed that the school referred to by the Deputy is in the pupils second nearest Post Primary Centre and that a service operated to the Post Primary Centre in the 24/25 school year catering for eligible, TAM and concessionary pupils.
Bus Éireann are reviewing services at present and tickets will be issued in the normal manner prior to the commencement of the 2025/26 school year based on eligibility criteria, as per below.
Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Eligible children who complete the application process and pay or enter their medical card details on time will get a seat on a school bus service, if a service is available.
Children who are not eligible for school transport but complete the application process and pay or enter their medical card details on time will be considered for any spare seats available after eligible children have been accommodated. These spare seats are called concessionary seats.
There may be more demand than availability for concessionary seats. In such cases, Bus Éireann will use a selection process to allocate tickets for the spare seats.
Temporary Alleviation Measures at post-primary level have been continued for the 2025/2026 school year which means that transport arrangements will continue to be provided for a number of post-primary students who are attending their second nearest school, who have applied and paid on time and who live more than 4.8km from their nearest school.
241. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the national anthem, Amhrán na bhFiann, is included in the primary or post-primary curriculum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36909/25]
View answerThe curricular frameworks provide clear pathways for schools to include Amhrán na bhFiann as part of broader learning about Irish history and identity. It is a matter for each school to decide whether to include the National Anthem as part of their Irish, History or Music programme. My department recognises the importance of national symbols, including Amhrán na bhFiann, as valuable educational tools for fostering civic pride and historical awareness. This was clearly demonstrated during the 2016 Centenary Programme, when schools nationwide participated meaningfully in the National Flag Ceremony while incorporating the anthem into their commemorative activities.
The current Primary School Curriculum for History does not specifically mention the National Anthem. Schools might, however, choose to teach the anthem as part of the strands Eras of Change and Conflict or Politics, Conflict and Society, which form part of the curriculum for senior classes in primary schools. Similarly, the current Primary School Curriculum for Music does not specifically mention the National Anthem either. Schools could, however, choose to teach the anthem as part of the strand Performing, which includes the very important strand unit Song Singing. This strand unit recommends teaching Amhráin Ghaeilge (songs in Irish).’
At post-primary level, the Junior Cycle History specification enables study of the anthem through Learning Outcome 2.4, which examines the relationship between politics and culture, and Learning Outcome 2.7 concerning key events between 1912 and 1923. For Leaving Certificate History, relevant contexts include Topic 3 on the Pursuit of Sovereignty and Impact of Partition (1912-1949), where the anthem's role in cultural nationalism might be explored, and Topic 6 covering Government, Society and the Economy (1949-1989), which could examine its ceremonial use in reflecting national identity. The anthem also features on the NCCA's suggested text list for First Year Irish, further highlighting its cultural significance.
Teachers may also teach the National Anthem as part of their Irish Music course to reinforce Irish music, culture, and history. They can teach it as part of a comparative analysis with other National Anthems from other countries to reinforce listening, composing and performing skills. Schools can teach students how to compose Anthems in both Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate. In Junior Cycle, CBA 1, which is a Composition Portfolio, clearly specifies Anthems as one of the options that students can produce should they so wish. It would be advisable for teachers to teach students about Anthems if they were to engage with this style of composing. Additionally, at both Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle, examination candidates may wish to perform Amhrán na bhFiann as part of their practical examination, which has no specific list of pieces for performance.
242. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider reopening a school (details supplied) under new patronage, considering that there is a sufficient demand of children in the area, and the closure of the school is a great loss to the community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36957/25]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the decision-making authority for any change of status, including school closure and change of patronage, is the patron/trustees of the school concerned and it is open to any patron to submit proposals to the Department for consideration.
Any proposal for school closure must involve extensive consultation with all of the relevant stakeholders, parents, teachers, students and local communities and follow decisions taken at local level. Such proposals are subject to the agreement of the Department of Education and Youth. The patron of the school referred to by the Deputy decided to close the school at the end of the current school year and the Department agreed to this proposal. Prior to agreement, the Department satisfied itself that there was good capacity across other schools in the relevant school planning area at present and into the future. Accordingly, there is therefore no plans to reopen this school under either the current or an alternative patron.
243. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the amount of State funding allocated to the IRFU; whether he is aware the IRFU is accumulating significant real estate near the Aviva Stadium; and if state funding has been used for this purpose. [36758/25]
View answerMy Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the Community Sports Facilities Fund (CSFF) and the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). These programmes provide for investment in sports facilities across a wide range of codes including rugby. The funds do not support the purchase of land and I confirm that my Department has not provided funding for the purposes referred to in the question.
Details of the latest CSFF allocations are available on the Department’s website at www.gov.ie/en/publication/3f9fa-community-sport-facilities-funding/, while information on previous rounds can be accessed here: www.gov.ie/en/collection/471ed5-sports-capital-allocations/. Details on LSSIF allocations can be found here: www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/54403-large-scale-sport-infrastructure-fund-lssif/
Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport. Sports Ireland also provides current funding to the IRFU. This funding would not be available for the purchase of properties.
I have referred the Deputy's question to Sport Ireland for direct reply in relation to its funding support. I would ask the Deputy to inform my office if a reply is not received within 10 days.
