Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
525. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth to detail the current basis on which guidance counsellors are allocated to secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17142/26]
View answerTeacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment on the previous 30 September. The criteria for the allocation of posts (including Guidance Provision) are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website (the circulars for the current school year being 0006/2025 0007/2025 & 0008/2025).
Each school receives an allocation in respect of Guidance Provision, calculated in accordance with published criteria and by reference to the approved enrolment.
For the current school year 2025/26 there are almost 970 Guidance Counselling posts allocated to our schools at a cost of over €75 million.
The allocation for Guidance Provision is provided separately and transparently on each school’s staffing schedule. These posts have been ring-fenced so they can only be used for guidance activities and to meet the guidance needs of the school in accordance with the school’s Guidance Plan.
My Department has committed considerable resources towards the restoration of guidance counselling hours to post-primary schools, to the provision of CPD for guidance counsellors and to the provision of a national guidance counselling supervision service for post-primary guidance counsellors in recent times.
