Written Answers Nos. 504-523
504. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the cost of the development of the common enrolment process for the Greystones area; the number of staff that were assigned to work on that scheme; the duration of that work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72409/25]
View answer523. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the cost of the development of the common enrolment process for the Greystones area; the number of staff that were assigned to work on that scheme; the duration of that work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72552/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 504 and 523 together.
The rollout of the pilot Single Online Application for Schools marks a significant step towards improving the school admission system and fulfilling the Programme for Government commitment to introduce a nationwide common application system. The Apply to School pilot was introduced to simplify and improve the admissions process for post-primary schools in five pilot areas including Greystones. This new system provides families, for the first time, with a single online application and introduces synchronised, streamlined timelines for schools to manage admissions, issue offers, and update a central database to record accepted places.
The development of the pilot single online application system including for the Greystones area was undertaken with existing resources from across various areas of my Department. This included ICT and administrative staff to support stakeholder engagement and support parents and schools in operating the new system. The work undertaken by the team also included preparatory and planning work towards the future nationwide common application system. The total cost for the roll out of the full pilot across the five areas is estimated to be in the region of €60,000, acknowledging the overlap between work to deliver the pilot and work to plan for future developments. The pilot cost includes a small amount on targeted communications to parents in the relevant areas. The work was carried out by staff in conjunction with other duties over the course of 2025 leading up to the system going live on 1 October.
My department is committed to ensuring that any new system produces the optimal outcome for children and I can assure the Deputy that officials in my Department will continue to work in consultation with stakeholders to develop an evidence-informed, tested, equitable solution for a nationwide Common Application System and to deliver this in an incremental way that ensures the admissions process safeguards the best interest of children.
505. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of post-primary school applicants for the 2026/2027 intake in each school planning area in County Wicklow who submitted a letter of eligibility as part of their enrolment process; the number of students who were offered a special education place as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72410/25]
View answer506. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary school applicants for the 2026/2027 intake in each school planning area in County Wicklow who submitted a letter of eligibility as part of their enrolment process; the number of students who were offered a special education place as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72411/25]
View answer524. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of post-primary school applicants for the 2026-2027 intake in each school planning area in County Wicklow who submitted a letter of eligibility as part of their enrolment process; the number of students who were offered a special education place as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72553/25]
View answer525. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary school applicants for the 2026-2027 intake in each school planning area in County Wicklow who submitted a letter of eligibility as part of their enrolment process; the number of students who were offered a special education place as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72554/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 505, 506, 524 and 525 together.
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.
In order to support the NCSE and forward planning my department published Circular 0039/2025. This circular informs school management and patrons of measures introduced to support forward planning and reiterates the need for parents to inform the NCSE through the Parent Notify process that they are seeking a special educational placement for their child.
This notification process will provide the NCSE with critical information on children who continue to need a special class as they progress to post-primary level as well as details on students who require a place for the first time. This year to facilitate earlier sanctioning of classes for the 2026/27 school year, an earlier date of 1 October was set for parents to complete the process.
The NCSE is undertaking analysis of information provided through the Parents Notify process to plot demand for special class places for the 2026/27 school year. The NCSE will also consider vacant places in existing special classes and places that will become available through the regular transition of children from primary to post-primary schools. Once this analysis is completed the NCSE will be equipped to engage with schools to open new special classes in relevant areas. It is expected that these special classes will be sanctioned in the coming weeks.
This new timeline was publicised widely and communicated with schools and special education advocacy groups and parent representative bodies. The NCSE also undertook a lot of work at local level to ensure that families were aware of the process and timeline. Consequently, the NCSE report a very significant level of engagement and contact from families ahead of the 1 October closing date.?
The NCSE advise that the majority of children and young people coming to them through the Parent’s Notify process are already enrolled in school and are being supported by existing special education teachers and special needs assistants.
It is important that those who come forward after the closing date are assured that they are not forgotten or excluded from the system. I would stress that the NCSE will continue to support all children and young people made known to them after 1 October in their existing placement with appropriate resources. However, it is critical that the NCSE has as much local information as possible, as early as possible, to effectively plan what new provision.
My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs and the need for specialist provision is subject to ongoing review.
507. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth for a progress update on the provision of a new school (details supplied); the timeline for delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72412/25]
View answer526. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the provision of a new school (details supplied); the timeline for delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72555/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 507 and 526 together.
The school building project referred to by the Deputy is planned to be delivered as part of Phase 2 of my Department's ADAPT Programme which uses a professional external Programme Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Integrated Project Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning, to Tender and Construction.
This ADAPT 4 Programme – Programme Innovate will be led by Integrated Project Teams (IPT’s), consisting of highly skilled and experienced design professionals, architects, engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors and various other consultants to deliver the projects.
The Project Manager was appointed in Q3 2023 and is in the process of preparing documentation for the tender process for the appointment of IPTs for the Phase 2 bundle of projects.
This major building project will deliver a new 1,000 pupil post primary schools with 6 classrooms for children with special education needs, at Fassaroe, Bray, Co Wicklow.
It is not possible to provide a timeframe for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured.
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 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.
Government departments are currently in the process of publishing their sectoral NDP Implementation Plans. The sectoral plan for the Education and Youth sector will be published next week and the first tranche of projects to progress to construction will be published in January. This NDP Implementation 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.
My Department will keep the school and patron body informed of the progression of this project.
508. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on her Department’s engagement with trade unions representing school secretaries with a view to finding a solution to the ongoing dispute about pay and conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72427/25]
View answerSchool secretaries and caretakers are at the heart of the school and are the key interface between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole.
My Department has been engaging with Fórsa and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Development over the past number of weeks under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission in relation to a number of claims including a claim for a comparable pension entitlement.
The matter has now been referred to the Labour Court, and a hearing will take place on 12th January 2026. The parties remain in process, and my department remains committed and ready to engage with Fórsa to reach a resolution on this important matter.
As with any industrial relations process, where engagement is sensitive and complex, the matters under discussion are confidential until this process concludes.
509. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children eligible for junior infant places in school planning areas (details supplied); and the number of junior infant places in each of the schools in that school planning area. [72435/25]
View answerIn order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas (SPA) and uses a geographical information system, using data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.
Major new residential developments have the potential to alter the demand for school places at a local level. In that regard, as part of the demographic demand analysis, my department monitors planning and construction activity in the residential sector. This involves the analysis of data sources from local authorities and the CSO along with the engagement with local authorities and the construction sector. In this way, up-to-date information on significant new residential developments is obtained and factored into the demographic analysis exercise. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes, at a local level, where there is a constantly evolving picture with planned new residential development.
Laurel Lodge and Carpenterstown are in the Carpenterstown_D15 SPA. According to Child Benefit data in this School Planning Area (SPA) there are approximately 2,273 year old and 2,354 year olds that are likely to require junior infant places in the coming years. Porterstown is located in the BlanchardstownVge_D15 SPA. According to Child Benefit data there are approximately 3,443 year olds and 4,024 year olds living in this SPA likely to require junior infant places in the coming years.
The availability of places is a matter for each individual school in the context of admissions legislation and their admissions policies. Enrolment data for previous school years is available on the Department website. Enrolment data for the 2024/2025 school year is available on the Departments website at www.gov.ie.
Each school is required to publish an Annual Admission Notice, which sets out the number of places available for first year for the relevant academic year. These notices are published by the schools themselves and are publicly accessible.
510. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to improve special needs education provision during 2025; her priorities for same in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72468/25]
View answerThis government is fully committed to supporting students with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
In 2026, over €3 billion will be spent supporting students with special educational needs. It will ensure that specialist capacity continues to grow by providing 3,000 specialist places. The majority of these places will be available in special classes within mainstream schools. It will increase our special educational posts by 860 special education teacher and over 1,700 special needs assistant (SNA) posts. This will mean we will have almost 46,000 professionals dedicated to supporting students with special educational needs in our schools. This is one of the highest annual increases in posts to date and is a firm reminder of this government’s commitment to supporting students with special educational needs.
Almost 1,900 classes have been sanctioned by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in the last five years, sixteen new special schools have been established and many more expanded. For the 2025/26 school year alone over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned bringing the total number of special classes nationwide to over 3,700. Five new special schools were established and capacity is being expanded in a number of other special schools.
Budget 2026 has also afforded a number of new initiatives such as funding for the roll out of the Education Therapy Service (ETS), the introduction of extra special education teaching hours for post-primary schools to support coordination and transition efforts and indeed a special school package to support the unique challenges these schools face.
The Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE will also, this year, look at the profile of existing special schools. This work will ensure children and young people with complex educational needs can apply to their local special school and not have to travel long distances to access an education that meets their needs.
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.
511. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to improve primary education during 2025; her priorities for same in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72469/25]
View answerPrimary Curriculum
Published in September 2025, the redeveloped Primary School Curriculum is the first major update since 1999 and applies to all primary and special schools. It covers five key areas:
• Arts Education (including Art, Drama and Music)
• Language (including Irish, English and Modern Foreign Languages)
• Social and Environmental Education (including History and Geography)
• STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education)
• Wellbeing (including Physical Education and Social, Personal and Health Education).
The redeveloped curriculum marks a major milestone in primary education. It provides inclusive, evidence-based learning, teaching, and assessment. It builds on existing strengths in primary and special schools while richer, more engaging experiences for every child.
During 2025, additional resources were provided to An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) to support the new department policy on Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht and the new department plan for Irish in English-medium schools. COGG has developed and published further resourses to support the teaching and learning of Irish on its digital hub “An Tairseach”, including resources for teaching PE through Irish for Junior Infants to 2nd class.
The department provided funding to Foras na Gaeilge for the development of an Irish/Irish dictionary which was launched recently. The department also provided funding for the Gaelbratach programme and for a review of the Seidean Si programme with a view to future redevelopment. Further funding will be provided to the Gaelbratach programme in 2026 under the department’s Plan for Irish in English-medium schools to further increase the opportunities for students to engage with and use the language outside the Irish class.
ESD to 2030 is Ireland’s 2nd National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development. During 2025, a 2nd progress report on the implementation of ESD to 2030 was published. €460k was delivered to 20 organisations and almost €560k was delivered to primary schools across the country for ESD projects in schools. The new primary curriculum “Social and Environmental Education” was published in 2025 for roll out in primary schools on a phased basis from September 2026, further embedding ESD themes and principles at primary level.
Modern Foreign Languages was introduced as part of the Primary Language Curriculum/Curaclam Teanga na Bunscoile (PLC/CTB) on a phased basis for 3rd?to 6th?classes from September 2025.
• For stage 3 (3rd?and 4th?classes), the focus will be on language awareness, which is already part of the PLC/CTB, but additional focus will now be placed on foreign languages.? This will progress to a language competence model in stage 4 (5th?and 6th?classes) where children will learn to communicate at a very basic to basic level in a third language (L3). This includes Gaeltacht schools and Gaelscoileanna.
• Schools may choose any L3 they wish based on their available resources, the current language competencies of their teachers and the home languages in the classroom.
• An hour per week is the suggested minimum time allocation provided in the Primary Curriculum Framework. Teachers can also use flexible time, recognising a school’s individual context.
New Primary Curriculum • as a support resource.
• Over time, with supports from Oide, NCSE and PPLI, Initial Teacher Education providers will ensure that newly qualified teachers have the necessary skills to teach MFL.
• In 2026, we will deliver foreign language upskilling programmes for primary teachers to support the roll-out of the Modern Foreign Languages specification of the Primary Languages Curriculum. Provide support to primary schools to implement the new MFL specification of the PLC.
As a precursor to this development, the “Say Yes to Languages” 10 week module will be delivered in over 1,300 primary schools across the country in 2025/26 with teacher upskilling as part of the initiative. Now in it’s 5th year, Say Yes to Languages aims to give teachers and pupils a taste of what it means to integrate additional languages alongside English and Irish in the primary classroom. Over 250,000 primary pupils have participated in Say Yes to Languages to date.
Exceptionally Able/Gifted Students Saibhriu is a pilot project currently underway to develop a suitable approach of policy and practice for students who are exceptionally able or gifted. Actions undertaken include commissioning bespoke research on international best practice, consulting with relevant stakeholders, and running new initiatives in a number of schools and education centres.
These initiatives include the Saibhriú pilot itself, which is led by an academic expert, and fosters local collaboration between primary and post-primary schools to establish how they can most effectively work together to support the needs of exceptionally able students. A launch event for the programme took place in March of this year, involving stakeholders from a number of schools and educational organisations. Work is ongoing to develop and embed a suitable approach. Year 1 of the project will wrap up in March 2026 with a ceremony presenting the report and the work done by the schools involved.
Another initiative that took place this year was the Summer Course for Teachers, hosted by Mayo Education Centre, to support educators in appropriate pedagogy for this cohort. A further initiative, the Summer Programme for Students pilot, ran in two schools this year, focussing on enrichment opportunities for these learners. It was funded through the existing Summer Programme scheme and was operated in addition to the existing programmes running in the schools.
Irish Sign Language Curriculum
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has commenced work on the development of an ISL curriculum for primary and post-primary schools. Appropriate resources were recruited to the NCCA in Quarter 3 of this year to carry out this work. An ISL Expert Working Group has been established, and the first meeting was convened in Quarter 3 of this year. Initial scoping on curriculum requirements has been carried out andwork will continue into 2026.
Wellbeing
In April 2025 the Department launched Neart, the new national programme of mental health and wellbeing resources and training for post-primary schools, delivered in a partnership between the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and Jigsaw - The National Centre for Youth Mental Health. The first Cineáltas Implementation Report was published in July 2025. Cineáltas is our whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying behaviour in schools. In its first year of implementation, work on of 51 of the 61 actions commenced and five of these actions were fully implemented.
The “Bí Cineálta Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour for Primary and Post-Primary Schools” began implementation in schools from the beginning of the 25/26 school year.
Special Education
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) sanctioned over 400 special classes for the 2025/26 school year. Over 300 new special school places have been created.
• In March 2025, the Department of Education and Youth published a new circular, “Review of Enrolment in a Special Class” was published to support schools with the review process for children and young people enrolled in a special class. Alongside this development, the criteria for enrolment in special classes for children with Developmental Language Disorder or Speech Sound Disorder was updated.
• In April 2025, the department announced the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) Redeployment Scheme will be operated by the NCSE and, for the first time, allow SNAs in posts which may no longer be required for reasons such as falling enrolments, reduced care needs or changing demographics, to be redeployed to a school which has a vacant post.
• In May 2025, the Department of Education and Youth announced new measures to support forward planning for special education provision for the 2026/2027 school year and beyond.
• Also in May 2025, the department published the Report on Focus Groups with Teachers on the role of the Special Needs Assistant (SNA).
• In June 2025, my department published the review of the Education of Person with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2024. The review comprised of over 28,000 responses to online surveys, including 900 responses from children and young people to an innovative easy access survey, and participation in focus groups by 91 adults and 94 students and young people from mainstream, special and Irish medium schools, as well as adults who had left school. The process of reviewing the EPSEN Act brought to light areas where participants considered that changes or developments in existing legislation, policy or practice were required and a total of 51 recommendations are presented in the report.
• In June 2025, the department announced government approval to establish the Education Therapy Service. This new service is currently being developed for roll out in some special schools at a later stage in the 2025/26 school year.
• In October 2025, as part of Budget 2026, a further special school package was announced to support increased investment in teacher professional learning in special education, additional funding for assistive technologies and enhanced capitation which will benefit, in particular, children in special schools.
• In November the Department of Education and Youth published a circular to advise schools regarding the revised criteria to access support under the enhanced Irish Sign Language (ISL) Scheme.
Support for school principals
This year my department has begun a trial of new administrative supports and arrangements for principals and boards of management to reduce the non-educational aspect of their workloads. These new posts have the title of Administrative Executives and are being introduced in three primary and three post primary schools.
Capitation
The Department secured €39 million in Budget 2026 towards increased capitation funding for primary, post-primary and special schools to provide additional financial support towards their running costs. This will see an increase in the standard capitation rates paid to schools of €50 per pupil for primary schools from €224 to €274.
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 mainstream capitation, for young people aged 12 and over, as for their peers in mainstream post-primary schools. These increases will take effect from September 2026. This funding will benefit schools around the country in managing their day-to-day running costs.
These increases in Budget 2026 are in addition to the increases announced as part of the capitation package in Budget 2025 where over €30 million was secured as a permanent increase in capitation funding. This represented an increase of circa 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates of capitation effective from September 2025.
Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS)
The DEIS programme is a key policy initiative of Government to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. The Department of Education and Youth provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. In addition to this, over €180 million of additional staffing, funding and other resources are allocated annually, by the Department of Education and Youth, to almost 1,200 schools and 260,000 children and young people in the DEIS programme.
Budget 2026 allocates an additional €16 million in 2026, rising to €48 million in 2027 to introduce the DEIS Plus scheme and support the implementation of the new DEIS Strategy. This the single biggest full year investment in tackling educational disadvantage since the DEIS programme was established. The new DEIS Strategy to be published in early 2026 will set out the Department of Education and Youth’s strategic direction for 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.
School Completion Programme (SCP)
The School Completion Programme is delivered under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme and provides support to over 800 schools, arranged in clusters, referred to as SCP Projects. SCP is an integral part of the three-strand integrated service of the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) alongside the statutory Education Welfare Service (EWS) and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL). These services provide a robust continuum of support and intervention aimed to improve the education experience and outcomes for children and young people at risk of early school leaving and educational disadvantage.
A programme of work to advance the development and implantation of a new employment framework model for workers currently employed in the SCP is underway. This will ensure that the future employment and governance framework for the SCP is robust, sustainable and supports the further development of this programme with TESS.
The purpose is to establish a clear and consistent governance and employment structure that drives consistency and supports a sustainable valued workforce to deliver a cost-effective, quality assured service to some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our schools.
Traveller and Roma
A TRES (Traveller and Roma Education Strategy) Oversight Group was established in January 2025 and has met three times to date. The group is responsible for monitoring progress and overseeing the implementation of actions contained within the TRES over the six-year period. It also oversees the implementation of education-related actions from the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy 2024–2030 (NTRIS II). Membership includes representatives from Traveller and Roma organisations. The first progress report was published in March 2025 and the second in July 2025. The third progress report will be published shortly.
The recruitment process for the appointment of 15 community link workers to support Traveller and Roma children and young people and those most at risk of educational disadvantage is well underway. Once appointed, the community link worker will work in DEIS and non-DEIS schools with high Traveller and Roma enrolments.
School books
The Primary Schoolbooks Scheme eliminates the cost of schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for parents of children and young people enrolled in recognised primary and special schools. €46.9 million has been allocated for the third year of the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme and over 540,000 children and young people in primary and special schools are benefitting from the scheme in the 2025/26 school year.
School Attendance
School attendance is everyone’s business and is important to support children and young people’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider development. The latest data published by Tusla in September shows that in the 2023/2024 school year, more than 1 in 5 of all students (22% in primary and 21% in post-primary) missed 20 or more days of school. A multimedia campaign launched in September to raise awareness of the impact of casual nonattendance among children in typical Irish households and to influence attitude and behaviour change among parents, guardians and grandparents with respect to the value of school attendance. The media campaign highlighted the importance and benefits of school attendance. Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) are rolling out Anseo to 60 additional primary and post-primary schools from the start of the new school year and the model will be expanded to additional schools in early 2026. Anseo is an evidence-based framework to help schools analyse and respond to attendance data.
Gaeltacht and Irish language education
In November, my department launched a new Policy for Irish-Medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht, which will support the growth and development of the Irish-medium sector. The policy outlines the department’s vision that Irish-medium education will be available to all in settings that are inclusive and multicultural, and that an ecosystem of appropriate supports will be available for schools and their communities. The policy identifies actions to progress towards this vision across a range of action areas.
Also in November, my department published a new Action Plan for Irish in English-Medium Schools. This plan is informed by national consultation, research, and policy and practice for minority languages in other jurisdictions.
Digital policy and AI
In June 2025, the Department of Education and Youth issued a circular about advising primary schools of the requirement to implement a policy to ban the use of, and access to, personal mobile phones for the duration of the school day.
The Department published Guidance on AI in Schools in October. This serves as an initial step toward the safe, effective and responsible use of AI in schools, with further development anticipated from Ireland’s partnership with the EU Commission in the multi-country project to develop strategies and tools for AI implementation in school education, as announced in April this year.
As part of the Council of Europe Year of Digital Citizenship 2025, important work is being undertaken by the Department through the Digital Citizenship Champion Programme. Delivered by the Department in partnership with Oide TIE and Webwise, the programme has provided training to 75 primary teachers as Digital Citizenship Champions. The initiative equips teachers, pupils and school communities with the knowledge and confidence to engage responsibly and safely online. The programme will continue into 2026.
Convention on Education
In July 2025, the Department announced that it would host a Convention on Education, bringing together all stakeholders in education. The Convention on Education will be a once in a generation opportunity for children, young people, parents, educators and wider society to help shape Ireland’s education system for decades to come. The Convention will comprise 150 participants across four groups: 1) children and young people, 2) parents and guardians, 3) school staff and early years educators and 4) Education stakeholders.
The Convention will meet four times over weekends in March, May, September and November 2026 to discuss key issues and make recommendations on the future of education. The focus will be mainly on primary and post-primary education but will include the transitions children make from early childhood education to primary and from post-primary to further and higher education. The report of the Convention will inform the department’s long-term strategy, “Our Schools, Our Future”.
512. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to tackle educational disadvantage during 2025; her priorities for same in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72470/25]
View answerIt is a goal of this Government to reduce educational disadvantage and promote equity across Irish schools, focusing particularly on vulnerable groups including children from lower socio-economic backgrounds, children living in homelessness, Travellers, and Roma and migrant communities.
DEIS Programme
The DEIS programme is a key policy initiative of Government to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. The Department of Education and Youth provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. In addition to this, over €180 million of additional staffing, funding and other resources are allocated annually, by the Department of Education and Youth, to almost 1,200 schools and 260,000 children and young people in the DEIS programme.
Budget 2026 allocates an additional €16 million in 2026, rising to €48 million in 2027 to introduce the DEIS Plus scheme and support the implementation of the new DEIS Strategy. This the single biggest full year investment in tackling educational disadvantage since the DEIS programme was established. The new DEIS Strategy to be published in early 2026 will set out the Department of Education and Youth’s strategic direction for 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.
School Completion Programme
The School Completion Programme is delivered under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme and provides support to over 800 schools, arranged in clusters, referred to as SCP Projects. SCP is an integral part of the three-strand integrated service of the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) alongside the statutory Education Welfare Service (EWS) and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL). These services provide a robust continuum of support and intervention aimed to improve the education experience and outcomes for children and young people at risk of early school leaving and educational disadvantage.
A programme of work to advance the development and implantation of a new employment framework model for workers currently employed in the SCP is underway. This will ensure that the future employment and governance framework for the SCP is robust, sustainable and supports the further development of this programme with TESS.
The purpose is to establish a clear and consistent governance and employment structure that drives consistency and supports a sustainable valued workforce to deliver a cost-effective, quality assured service to some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our schools.
Free Schoolbooks Scheme
Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families. In Budget 2025, the department announced that the schoolbooks scheme would be further extended to include students in Senior Cycle years, including Transition Year, in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. In total, €170 million has been allocated to provide free schoolbooks for some 940,000 children and young people enrolled primary, post-primary and special schools in the Free Education Scheme, from the start of the 2025/26 school year. This means, for the first time ever, all children and young people enrolled in primary, special and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme will be provided with schoolbooks and core classroom resources.
The funding removes the cost of schoolbooks and core classroom resources for parents/guardians at post-primary level and schoolbooks workbooks and copybooks for parents/guardians at primary level. Schools retain autonomy to choose books that meet curricular requirements. As part of Budget 2026, over €160 million is allocated to continue the schoolbooks schemes for the 2026/27 school year.
School Attendance
In September, my colleague Minister McEntee launched a national multimedia campaign to promote the importance of regular school attendance to students and parents, and Anseo a new evidence-based framework to help schools analyse and respond to attendance data. The multimedia campaign is to encourage parents and of children, who take them out of school for reasons other than illness, to send their children to school every day. The campaign positively communicates the importance and benefits of school attendance and outlined to parents about when a child should and can attend school from a health perspective.
Anseo is a Multi-Dimensional Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MD-MTSS) approach to addressing school attendance problems and it was announced in May 2025. 60 schools have been offered Anseo from the start of the 2025/26 school year. Tusla Education Support Service staff will work with the 60 schools throughout the 2025/26 school year, promoting and supporting the implementation of the model which will enable schools to develop effective and appropriate strategies to respond to the drivers of school absenteeism. An additional 125 schools will be offered Anseo from February 2026 and ‘Anseo’ will be gradually scaled to all schools by September 2028.
Traveller and Roma Education Strategy (TRES)
The Traveller and Roma Education Strategy (TRES) 2024-2030, alongside the Plan for Implementation and Action for 2024-2026, was published in July 2024. This is a six-year strategy which aims to build on ongoing work across the continuum of education, including early learning and childcare, school (primary and post-primary) and further and higher education, to improve outcomes and ensure equity of access, opportunity and outcomes, as well as meaningful participation, for all Travellers and Roma. The strategy contains a number of actions grouped under four themes which include Participation and Experience, Access and Outcomes, Partnership and Delivering Change.
Some of the key actions include increasing the number of young people remaining in school to 6th year and achieving a Leaving Certificate, promoting training on inclusion and diversity through teacher professional learning, addressing racism and discrimination by developing more targeted cultural competence training and teaching Traveller culture and history through the curriculum. The strategy will also promote diversity in the education sector workforce.
Funding was secured to establish 15 Community Link Worker roles to support Traveller and Roma children at risk of educational disadvantage. The Community Link Workers will work across a number of schools in areas where there are high numbers of Traveller and Roma children and young people. Their roles will focus on fostering greater engagement with Traveller and Roma families to facilitate successful communication, promote positive relationships and to support the learning of Traveller and Roma children and young people by linking them to resources within their area. The link workers will provide vital engagement on the ground between schools, families and communities.
A progress report on the actions in the Plan for Implementation and Action was published in July 2025 and the next progress report will be published shortly. A new Plan for Implementation and Action for the years 2026 to 2028 will be published in 2026.
513. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to improve employment conditions for teachers during 2025; her priorities for same in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72471/25]
View answerThere are more qualified teachers than ever working in our education system with the most recent data showing over 79,000 qualified teachers are employed in the State.?
The teaching profession is highly attractive, with strong demand for teacher education programmes with over 3,600 newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2025 with over 127,000 on the register. Salaries are competitive, starting at €44,879 (primary) and €46,448 (post-primary) and rising to €85,000 under the current pay deal.????? Few teachers resign: less than 3% of the teaching workforce resign or retire annually from contracted teaching posts.
Around 6% of first-choice CAO applications from 2017–2024 were for teaching, showing steady demand. In 2025, first preferences rose by 9% for primary teaching and 5% for post-primary. 85% of newly appointed primary teachers in 2024/25 are on full-time, mostly fixed-term contracts, 75% of new post-primary teachers are full-time and 93% of teachers with 5+ years’ experience hold permanent full-time or pro-rata contracts.
In April 2025, Minister McEntee announced a reduction in the period of time for a teacher to become eligible for the award of a CID. The reduction, from a period of continuous employment of two years to a period of continuous employment of one year, is a significant improvement to the employment conditions of teachers.
The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants and new entrant pay has been gradually restored over the years.
The Public Service Pay Agreement 2024-2026 (PSA) builds on improvements to pay for teachers that were made in previous pay agreements. It provides for further baseline increases of 9.25% for over 100,000 staff in the school sector with lower paid workers receiving higher percentage increases.
By the end of this agreement, these increases would increase the pay of a teacher on the top point of the teacher pay scale to around €85,000 per annum. The starting pay for a teacher will be around €46,000 per annum, which is almost €20,000 higher than the 2011 rates. Two increases to pay were made to teachers this year as follows:
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 2% or €1,000, whichever is greater, on 1 March 2025.
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% on 1 August 2025
The Government is committed to the delivery of quality public services and will continue to approach public service pay in a balanced way that is reasonable and fair to both public servants and to the taxpayer. Any further amendments to Teacher Terms and Conditions, including pay and allowances, can only be achieved through engagement and collective bargaining agreements between the Government and the public service unions or through the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) forum.
In addition, to assist teacher supply, recently regulations were approved to allow teachers who qualified overseas to undertake their induction in the State.
My Department will continue to engage with the Education Partners to ensure that teaching remains a highly attractive profession with high levels of newly qualified teachers entering the provision and low levels of resignation from the workforce.
514. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to support schools facing financial pressures during 2025; her priorities for same in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72472/25]
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. The Department has secured €39 million in Budget 2026 towards increased capitation funding for primary, post-primary and special schools to provide additional financial support towards their running costs. This will see an increase in the standard capitation rates paid to schools of €50 per pupil for primary schools from €224 to €274 and of €20 per student for post-primary schools from €386 to €406. 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 mainstream capitation, for young people aged 12 and over, as for their peers in mainstream post-primary schools. These increases will take effect from September 2026. This funding will benefit schools around the country in managing their day-to-day running costs.
The increases announced in Budget 2026 are in addition to the 12% increases as part of Budget 2025. The last three Budgets have resulted in an increase in the level of capitation grant rates of 49.7% (€91) paid to primary schools and 28.5% (€90) paid to 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.
OGP frameworks are available to schools for a number of categories including facilities management, managed services, professional services, and utilities. Schools should ensure that they are availing of these available OGP procurement frameworks in order to get the best value for money for all school expenditure, in accordance with Circular 0060/2013. The benefits arising from these frameworks include cash savings, administrative savings from reduced duplication of tendering, greater purchasing expertise, improved consistency, enhanced service levels and legal certainty. Schools Procurement Unit (SPU), funded by the Department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on procurement matters- www.spu.ie
The Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU), funded by the Department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on financial matters.
515. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is satisfied that special education needs organisers are acting consistently across the State and that parents and school staff are always getting the best support and advice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72498/25]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of special educational needs organisers (SENOs), for fulfilling the functions of the NCSE Council in relation to the identification of, and delivery and co-ordination of, education services to children with disabilities.
As a result of significant investment by this government in the NCSE the number of SENOs has increased to 120, an increase of 47 from the previous sanctioned. The SENO plays a crucial function in the framework of special education, charged with a variety of responsibilities to ensure that students with special educational needs (SEN) receive individualised support and services, aligned with the continuum of support.
SENOs assess and identify students with SEN at primary, post primary and special school levels. The role involves significant interaction with parents/children, teachers and school leaders, health care professionals, school authorities, Health Service Executive and other relevant government agencies.
At local level, the NCSE has increased the number of support teams available to parents and schools, throughout the country, from a 10-team structure to a 20-team structure. All SENO grades are now assigned on a county basis and undertake caseloads associated with that county only, and on a reduced caseload basis.
Local SENOs are available to offer advice, support and guidance as required to ensure students with special educational needs are supported to achieve their full potential.
516. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is satisfied with the approach taken to SNA reviews in mainstream schools in cases which involve children who would otherwise be in a special school; the extent to which such review result in additional SNA resourcing; the median timeframe for this, from review to extra SNA staff being provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72499/25]
View answerEnabling students with special educational needs to receive an education that meets their needs is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for me, my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The vast majority of students with special educational needs attend mainstream classes with their peers, supported by special education teachers (SETs) and special needs assistants (SNAs). Where students with more complex needs require additional supports, special class and special school places are provided. This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which advocates that students will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible.
The process for allocating SNAs has been in place since 2014 and has not changed this year. SNA allocations for the 2025/26 school year were notified to schools in June 2025. The NCSE Guidelines for the Review of SNA Allocations 2025/26 https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/NCSE_SNA_Guidelines.pdf issued to schools on the 12 September 2025. In response to concerns raised the NCSE subsequently published the Clarification Document to be read in accompaniment with NCSE SNA Guidelines. https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Clarification-Document-to-be-read-in-accompaniment-with-NCSE-SNA-Guidelines-8.10.2025.pdf
The NCSE continues to respond to increased demand for SNA support as is reflected growing SNA workforce which now numbers more than 23,000, an increase of 43% in the last 5 years alone. Some review requests can be concluded as an office-based exercise, whilst others require a school to be visited in order to observe the current deployment of SNA support in the school setting.
The timeframe for concluding a review can vary depending on the school context or the nature of the information provided. Where the review results in an increase in SNA resources the provisions of DEY Circular Recruitment and Appointment Procedures for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/circulars/recruitment-and-appointment-procedures-for-special-needs-assistants-snas/ must be followed.
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.
517. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth her long-term plans for special classes and special school provision in light of recent proposed changes to the assessment of need process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72507/25]
View answer518. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the additional responsibilities teachers and/or SNAs will be expected to take on as part of the proposed changes to the assessment of need process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72508/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 517 and 518 together.
The Assessment of Need (AON) process is provided for under the Disability Act 2005 and is under the remit of the Health Service Executive (HSE).
It is important to note that children and young people in mainstream schools do not require an AON or a diagnosis of disability to access mainstream supports from the 15,000 special education teachers in our school system. The Department has removed the need for health-related information to support special education teaching allocation (SET), to transition from a primary to post primary special class, for assistive technology supports and/or for additional SNA requirements.
There has been a very significant growth in demand for special school and special class places in recent years. This has seen an unprecedented rise in the number of children and young people enrolled in special classes and the opening of 16 new special schools.
There is evidence that, in areas where disability services are unable to meet the full range of needs of children and young people, such as for early intervention, therapy supports and/or respite, many families are choosing to apply to all local services, regardless of whether this is the appropriate route for provision for their child. In these circumstances, provision of education services is viewed by some, as being a driver for the AON process with families seeking an AON to secure a diagnosis, which is currently required to access a special school/class placement.
Additionally, while a diagnosis is currently required to access a special class or a special school, this does not have to be linked to an AON.
The Department of Education and Youth will bring forward a proposal through a Memorandum for Government early in 2026 to agree a process which is intended to result in the removal of the requirement for professional reports, such as Assessment of Need reports, from entry requirements for special schools and special classes and the adoption of a needs-based approach, subject to the availability of necessary resources.
There will be a comprehensive consultation process with the full range of education stakeholders and advocacy groups in respect of this proposed measure.
The AON process as it applies to schools and as outlined in DEY Circular 0069/2025 will remain in place. For clarity, there is no change to the AON process as it applies in schools.
519. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if additional school transport pilot routes have been added for the 2026-2027 school year to further expand the rollout of the scheme and to address identifiable need in hotspot areas where concessionary demand is greatest, such as students attending a school (details supplied) from the Annacurra and Aughrim area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72524/25]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth.
The scheme has expanded significantly over the past six years. In that time, the numbers of children and young people using the service have grown from under 120,000 pupils in 2018 to over 180,000 pupils in 2025, which equates to an increase of close to 50%.
Under the current terms of the schemes, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary 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.
Any pupils/students who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible, or otherwise known as concessionary applicants, and are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat when all eligible children have been catered for. Where demand exceeds available tickets, Bus Éireann will allocate tickets using an agreed selection process.
Bus Éireann has advised that pupils in the Aughrim and Annacurra areas are considered concessionary to Coláiste Bhríde Carnew. Currently there are 3 services operating from these areas.
The School Transport 2030 report was published in early 2024 following a comprehensive analysis and review of the scheme as it currently operates. The recommended changes to the schemes include expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges and moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure the best value for money to the Exchequer. It is proposed to expand access to the scheme so that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030. It was outlined at the time of the review’s publication that due to the scale of the scheme it would be prudent to implement the changes on a phased basis.
A phased implementation of the review’s recommendations began at the start of the 2024/2025 school year in conjunction with the Department of Transport and Bus Éireann.? A total of 14 pilot projects took place that year and will continue for the 2025/2026 school year.
Following the closing date for payment for the 2025/2026 school year the Department, in collaboration with Bus Éireann, assessed where dedicated school transport/pilots may be successfully delivered, and a further 11 pilots were approved. The Department has asked Bus Éireann to review where additional capacity may be available for concessionary pupils who paid on time and would become eligible if the revised school transport scheme criteria was rolled out in full.
Due to ongoing challenges in the wider transport sector, including availability of drivers and vehicles, any expansion of services must be carefully planned and phased. While pilot projects are being considered in select areas to test revised eligibility criteria, these pilots are limited in scope and capacity.
All pilots – including those which commenced in the 2024/2025 school year – are being monitored and a further evaluation will take place at the end of the 2025/2026 school year. Findings from these evaluations will guide the planning and implementation needed for a national rollout of a revised School Transport Scheme.
Implementation of the recommendations of the review will continue to be planned subject to resources being available to meet the increased demand.
