Vol. 1074 No. 5
1. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps she will take to increase the number of early intervention classes to meet current and projected demand across the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60168/25]
I thank the Deputy. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality has responsibility for provision of services to children of preschool age. The access and inclusion model, or AIM as we know it, provided by that Department enables the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities or additional needs in the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme. Its goal is to create a more inclusive environment in preschools so that all children availing of preschool regardless of ability can benefit from quality early learning and care. This is in keeping with general policy position of supporting children with additional needs to access supports and services with their peers and siblings in their local community.
There has a been significant increase in resources and supports provided to children with additional needs accessing the AIM programme over recent years. It is important to note that a diagnosis is not required to access AIM supports and that while some children require additional supports at preschool level, many will transition into mainstream classes thereafter. To further supplement the provision of services for these children, my Department also provides a number of early intervention classes in mainstream and special school settings for children aged between three to five years with a diagnosis of autism. There is also a small number dedicated to children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
These classes are intended to provide early support to children with the most complex of needs before they start school and can aid their transition to junior infants. The vast majority of young children with additional needs are therefore supported to attend their local early childhood care and education, ECCE, setting and do not need to attend a primary school or special school to access early years support. A professional recommendation for a placement in such a class is also a requirement. Where the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, identifies a need for an early intervention class, the class is sanctioned and supports are provided by my Department to ensure the school can accommodate the class.
We have 3,000 new special places being created in our education system for the current school year. The NCSE is currently examining the level of need by special class and special school type and where these places are best located, including for early intervention classes. For this year alone, there have been three new classes opened and this is responding to the need that has been identified.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I think the Minister will agree that those who avail of early intervention classes along with their families reflect on them very positively. Has there been an assessment of unmet need? Is it the case that this is demand-led through the NCSE? If there has been an assessment of unmet need, what are the plans to meet that need into the future?
Where a need is identified through engagement with the NCSE, this is where early intervention classes are opening. To give context - the Deputy will forgive me but I believe my figures from the Minister for children are right - approximately 96% plus of young children between the ages of three and five are accessing the ECCE scheme. Those children, without having to do any means test or assessment, are able to avail of the AIM scheme as well. That leaves fewer than 4% of young children who perhaps are not accessing ECCE and who perhaps for different reasons are not getting or are not able to avail of the level of support they need. That is where the early intervention classes work really well. I have been in some of the classes local to me and I can see how beneficial they are.
At the moment, we have 159 early intervention classes with three newly sanctioned for this year. Again, they are to supplement where the ECCE and AIM schemes are perhaps not providing enough support or are not adequate for those young children for whatever reasons. It is really important particularly at that age where for young children, it is play-based learning. It is not that we want children in school from the age of three; it is that we are trying to support as many young children as possible in the early education years. However, where it is not working, that is where I am absolutely confident and clear that the early intervention classes are supporting those children and are very necessary.
It might be worth having joined-up consideration of it to see if there is opportunity to get additional benefit from more early intervention classes. Has any consideration been given to the potential barrier there of a need for diagnosis at that stage? These are young children. Related to that is the transition between early years and primary school and primary school into secondary school. We now have the new 1 October deadline for the parent notification system. The criteria for relevant documentation at that stage has been a barrier for some people and there is some concern they will be locked out of the system. Can the Minister give us an update on the new scheme, particularly as it relates to those transitioning from-----
To answer the Deputy's previous question, and rolling into the next one, the Department looks at, reviews and assesses the level of need and that includes the early intervention classes. The new timeline and the new structure we have put in place will look not just at the demand for a special class place or special school place but also at the potential demand for the early intervention classes. The 1 October deadline has passed and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I are working with the NCSE every week and are meeting on a regular basis to look at the overall demand that is there. We are not going to lock anybody out and it is really important to say that. We have a deadline there for a very clear reason, which is to make sure we and, in particular, the NCSE are able to plan ahead but of course we want to work with parents. While we are still working with and managing the data, we are getting a much clearer picture of what the demand is. Last year there was not a requirement for children to have presented to the NCSE by a certain date, which was in February, to get access to a class but it is now a requirement. Children who would earlier on in the year have been unknown to the NCSE are now known, and so we are getting a much clearer picture of what the demand and need is. That will include the overall demand and need for the early intervention classes.
2. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the roll out and funding of DEIS plus, as of November 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59395/25]
I thank the Deputy. Tackling educational disadvantage and, in particular, supporting students to fulfil or achieve their full potential in life is a key priority for me. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level and it is important to acknowledge the success it has been over recent years. More than €180 million is provided annually to additional supports for almost 1,200 schools in the DEIS programme. Budget 2026 allocates an additional €16 million this year on top of that which will translate into €48 million in additional money for the next full year to support the implementation of a new DEIS strategy but also to introduce the new DEIS plus scheme which will start next year.
As Minister, I am determined to close the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and to introduce more innovative solutions to tackle educational disadvantage while at the same time making sure we invest more in what is working well because there is a huge amount that is working well. Part of delivering this objective will be the introduction of the new DEIS plus scheme. This scheme will provide additional resources to schools with the very highest level of need. To inform the development of the DEIS plus scheme, I have established a design advisory group. On that group, we have quite a number of different people, including principals, home school community liaison teams, school completion programme co-ordinators - people who work with students day in, day out and understand and know the need that is there - individuals from my Department and teams working with young people from across areas where there is high intergenerational disadvantage. We are also intensifying our engagement with other Government Departments and agencies, whether education partners or stakeholders across the education sector to develop the DEIS plus scheme.
What I said was that I wanted to have both the new DEIS scheme with DEIS plus published by the end of the year. We are still on track for that. What we are doing at the moment is essentially looking at what the different measures that have been identified are, where the greatest level of need is, what we could introduce in the earlier stages and how can we grow on that. Obviously €16 million is not going to provide us with the full DEIS plus scheme we will inevitably end up with. However, we will start to introduce certain elements of that scheme next year and build on it. What we are working on at the moment is identifying what will provide the greatest level of support at the earliest stages possible and on how we can build on that and develop the best scheme possible.
I appreciate that. With that design advisory group, are we on track to hopefully roll out DEIS plus for the academic year 2026-2027? Is that the priority for Government? In relation to the €16 million grant funding, that will not be the full amount to roll out DEIS plus in totality but is it the job of the design advisory group to come up with the specific schools or areas we were going to target first? If so, how do we pick those schools or areas? The Minister knows I am absolutely willing to work with her. At the centre of this are the most disadvantaged children across the country and the Minister will appreciate that the questions that are forthcoming constantly in relation to this are genuinely based on the need for extra supports in our communities.
Shortly after being appointed to the role, I met with a large group of principals, deputy principals and people working in schools where there is educational disadvantage and they were clear they needed this scheme brought in as soon as possible to support and complement the huge amount of work they are doing.
On identifying schools, we will not require schools to apply for inclusion. We will use a methodology to identify schools and look at evidence to inform us, including census 2022 data, HP deprivation index data and other available relevant data. We will take that into consideration and apply it to certain schools across the country in different cities and towns. The process will focus on delivering a commitment to support schools with the highest level of educational disadvantage.
On the Deputy's point, where there is intergenerational disadvantage and challenges for the young person, the community and the family, we will look to support the community, family unit and student involved.
DEIS plus is a welcome initiative and has been championed by my party and the former Deputy Ó Ríordáin, now an MEP. There has to be cross-party support for the roll-out of DEIS plus. It is about the implementation being as quick as possible because schools need it.
Deputy O'Rourke and I met with a number of principals recently in the audiovisual room in relation to their schools and one point they focused on was the deputy principal role. I hope DEIS plus will help to tackle disadvantage in many schools across the country. We only have 0.75 of a deputy principal in one DEIS school in a socioeconomically disadvantaged area of Cork, for example. I do not doubt the Minister's bona fides on this. We just need to get it done as quickly as possible.
I fully agree and am eager to get this published as soon as possible and get these measures in place. The Deputy mentioned certain things and we are looking at all the things that have been asked of the Department. I am assured the asks are based on the understanding, knowledge and experience of our schools, principals, teachers and, particularly, the children who will benefit from this.
I point to the huge success so far of the DEIS programme. We have seen in recent years a reduced gap in the retention rates between DEIS and non-DEIS schools. It has halved, which is fantastic. For the number of young people in DEIS schools sitting the leaving certificate now, that gap has reduced significantly. Where we need to do much better is around the overall attainment rate in those schools. The DEIS plus programme should be able to help us understand what is at the crux of some of the issues young people face.
Complementing this - and it is very much part of the DEIS and DEIS plus schemes - is the focus on absenteeism. In DEIS schools - primary schools as well - there is a much higher rate of absenteeism. If children are not in school, no matter what we put there, we cannot support and target them. The work we do to encourage young people into school and to keep them there and support them will complement the work of DEIS and DEIS plus.
3. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth her position in relation to the exemptions system for the Irish language as it stands; her views on whether it is fit for purpose; her plans to combat the increasing number of students seeking exemptions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59852/25]
Is mian liom labhairt faoi cheist na ndíolúintí Gaeilge inniu. There has been an unprecedented spike in the number of exemptions from Irish granted in recent years, with one in seven young people in the State exempted from learning our national language. What is the Minister's position on the exemptions system for the Irish language as it stands? Does she believe it is fit for purpose and what are her plans to combat the increasing number of students seeking exemptions?
Tá gealltanas i gclár an Rialtais an Ghaeilge a chosaint agus a chur chun cinn. In education this includes the work towards aligning Irish language curriculums with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, CEFR, to enhance spoken Irish. This work is being led by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
In certain circumstances, a primary or post-primary student may be granted an exemption from studying Irish. The criteria are governed by Department circulars and decisions are made at school level. The circulars make clear that, for fundamental cultural and historical reasons that are inextricably linked to Irish identity, the study of the Irish language is a key aspect of the learning experiences that are considered appropriate for students in recognised schools. Is ar an chúis seo go bhfuil an Ghaeilge ina croí-ábhar sa churaclam do scoileanna aitheanta.
Students should be given every reasonable opportunity to participate in the learning of Irish for as long as possible. Normally, it is in the interests of the child to continue to study Irish to at least fifth or sixth class level before any decision is made to grant an exemption. That is reflected in the overall number of exemptions at primary school level, which has dropped over recent years.
Circulars were published in September 2019. This was informed by an inspectorate review of the previous circulars and following a detailed and comprehensive consultation process. The inspectorate report is also available online. The 2019 circulars were further adjusted following a further review, resulting in the current circulars. My Department will continue to review the system and make adjustments as deemed necessary. We have also engaged with schools on the issue of exemptions and plans to enhance understanding among schools, students and parents of the purposes and criteria of the exemption system.
Aithníonn an Rialtas an tábhacht a bhaineann le córas oideachais láidir chun tacú le gach scoláire rochtain a bheidh acu ar an nGaeilge agus ar an gcultúr Gaelach agus go bhfuil ról suntasach ag an oideachas in athbheochan agus cothabháil na Gaeilge sa phobal. Leanfaidh oifigigh agus gníomhaireachtaí na Roinne le hathbhreithniú agus athchóiriú foghlaim agus teagasc na Gaeilge chun na críche sin.
It is great to hear the Minister talk of revision but currently the system for these exemptions is not working. We must not forget they are meant to be exemptions for students with severe or complex learning difficulties who simply cannot learn a language. The figures tell us Gaeilge is essentially optional. The numbers have risen sharply, with more than 73,000 exemptions, and it is hard to see any urgency from the Department to get a handle on it. When the Minister's officials were os comhair an choiste Gaeilge the other week, they could not admit there was a problem. Tá sé sin dochreidte. The rise in exemptions does not show inclusion; it shows neglect.
The same lack of respect for Gaeilge can be seen elsewhere. For example, the other week, 30 minutes of Gaeilge was removed from the primary school curriculum. The message that sends is that the language can be chipped away at bit by bit. Many exempted students, whether they have additional needs or have recently arrived in Ireland, can learn if we can adapt the curriculum to provide proper supports.
In relation to the curriculum, a number of subjects saw a slight reduction in the time allocated to them but there is more flexibility within the time schedules, so schools can increase the number of hours provided for Irish or the time spent on Irish.
The overall figure for exemptions at primary school level is extremely low. It fell from over 18,000 maybe five years ago to just over 12,000 in the 2024-25 school year. The proportion of primary students with an exemption in the same period dropped from about 3.25% to 2.2%. Of exemptions at primary level, 93% are granted to students with special education needs.
I accept the number of exemptions at post primary level has increased, but we are seeing that exemptions have steadied. Even though the number of students attending post primary has increased by 4.7%, we have not seen a relative increase in the number of exemptions. It is about half and half, so it is evenly distributed between the number of students with special education needs getting exemptions and the number coming from abroad. That is generally the breakdown we are seeing.
It is nearly 60,000 in secondary school. What the Minister mentioned about primary school is great but the reality in schools does not match the picture she is painting.
We need real leadership from the Minister. We need it from the top down. We cannot leave the decision up to principals on their own any more. The rate of exemptions depends entirely on where a child goes to school. In some places, they are granted almost automatically and in others hardly at all. There are simple practical fixes to this. The coiste Gaeilge in its last term produced a report with many recommendations. We can bring back foundation level at junior cycle, allow an oral-only option for students who struggle with reading and writing, give teachers time and resources to differentiate properly in class and address the reality that additional learning support classes are being timetabled at the same time as Gaeilge, which is another example of Gaeilge being less than. If the Department truly values Irish and inclusion, then I would love the opportunity, as would many Teachtaí here, to work with the Minister and Department on this.
I assure the Deputy there is no inertia or lack of will to support young people studying the language. I was in a school yesterday and was asked this question by a student. I want students to enjoy studying the language and, most importantly, speaking it.
On the figures, it is important to say that in the 2024-25 school year, there were over 19,000 exemptions. That is higher than we would like. At the same time, given the number of Ukrainian students who have come into the system, about half of those are students who have come from abroad.
Not every Ukrainian student or anybody else coming from abroad is getting an exemption, but it is a far higher number and there are also a significant number of young people with special educational needs.
That being said, there is more we need to do. Later this week, I will publish two new strategies, one for Irish in English-medium schools and another for Irish being taught in the Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. They will be launched on Thursday of this week. The focus and the priority there is how to make sure that the language is enjoyable, that it is being taught well in the schools and that there is support for the schools. That is to build on the work that is already happening.
Work is at an advantaged stage, as I said, on the new strategy. There is an action plan for Irish in English-medium schools as well as Irish in the Gaelscoileanna and coláistí. This is supporting the work through An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta, COGG, which has established a unit specifically within my Department to see how we support schools, support teachers, make sure they have the resources and make sure that Irish is being taught in a way that young people are enjoying it. That is clearly the message that I am getting through and it is something that I really want to see that we can make progress on.
4. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has carried out an assessment of the impact that the current teacher shortages are having on students, particularly in rural schools and DEIS areas; and the measures being taken to recruit and retain teachers. [59851/25]
There is a significant teacher shortage across Ireland. The unions have reported this over many years. Indeed, the situation is getting so bad that some schools are combining classes. Other schools are sending classes home. What analysis has the Minister done of the impact this is having in schools, particularly rural schools and DEIS schools? What is the Department doing to address the teacher shortage issue in this country?
This Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are completely dedicated and committed to supporting their learning. It is fair to say that we have a fantastic cohort of teachers who are committed to just that.
Over 97% of allocated teaching posts are filled and the number of unfilled allocated posts in DEIS or rural schools is comparable to that in all other schools. The data, which is based on our payroll, is not suggesting that there is a massive discrepancy between DEIS, rural schools or any other area. We have a rate of 97% of posts filled.
As with other sectors of the economy, recruitment challenges exist, which I acknowledge. In particular in certain parts of the country, most notably Dublin, there are still challenges. To address these, several targeted measures that have been implemented have led to an increase of 20% in initial teacher education graduates between 2018 and 2023, an increase of over 30% in the number of teachers registered with the Teaching Council between 2017 and 2025, and an increase in allocated teaching posts of 11,752 between the 2018-19 and 2024-25 school years. There are more qualified teachers than ever. The increase in the number of allocated teaching posts has outpaced population increases, with over 79,000 teachers now employed in our schools. We are continuously looking at our data and how that matches what was reflected in the demand in our schools.
Teaching is a highly attractive profession. We still have strong demand for teacher education programmes, with 3,600 newly qualified teachers registered in 2025 alone. With the changes to the overall public sector pay agreement, I believe we have competitive salaries compared with other jurisdictions.
To address some of the challenges, and perhaps I will come to this in my second contribution, one of the first things that I said as Minister I wanted to do was determine how we make sure that we encourage more teachers into the system, how we keep the teachers we have and how we make sure we are supporting them in the best way possible.
There are significant difficulties, particularly around certain subjects. From speaking to DEIS schools and rural schools, and indeed in Dublin as well, we need to focus on easing the difficulties of recruitment and retention in teaching. For example, why is it the case that if a teacher is permanent in Dublin and wants to move back to Mayo, that teacher has to give up their employment? Why is there not a scheme to redeploy - a proper functioning scheme for those people?
Why is Deputy McEntee, as the Minister for education, not trying to recruit teachers in the UAE and Australia? We need them. Despite what the Minister said, we need them. I speak to principals all the time. What is the Minister doing to recruit those teachers? I believe the Minister should be incentivising those teachers by outlining to them that we will recognise their service in the UAE and provide some increment benefit on the pay scale.
One of the first things that I did, and this was directly in response to an ask from the unions, was make changes to ensure that teachers were able to gain permanent roles more quickly, after one year as opposed to two. That was one of the first asks that I had. It was one of the first things that I did and I have said that I will do more.
The Deputy mentioned the fact that there are certain subjects, in particular in post-primary schools, where there is a greater challenge in identifying teachers. I have provided more upskilling programmes. Where teachers currently are proficient in two subjects, they are now able to upskill free of charge in certain areas and in particular subjects where there are difficulties such as physics, chemistry or science subjects overall, maths, computing and other areas where we have identified a particular shortage. Likewise, reflecting the previous question about the Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, there is work under way to support teachers in making sure that they can upskill and become more proficient so that we do not have such a shortage. However, I appreciate that is a challenge and we are looking at lots of ways in which we can support teachers.
What I have said is that I will continue to look at possible ways and measures by which we can encourage more young people home. What is clear - I visited Australia for St. Patrick's Day this year and I met with many student teachers - is that many of them are coming home. Many of them are spending that time away and want to travel and to experience other jurisdictions, but they are also coming home because they want to come home and they want to teach in our schools.
In fairness, the question I asked the Minister, in terms of the redeployment scheme, was why there is not a fair process for teachers who are living and working in Dublin and cannot afford, for example, to live in Dublin and want to move back to Mayo. The vacancies are there. Why is there not that scheme? Will the Minister engage with me in relation to that?
Has the Minister undertaken any analysis of the two-year professional master's in education? Is the additional year in that two-year programme another barrier and will she consider reducing that back to one year?
In circumstances in which we have a teacher shortage, not enough is being done. We are not doing anything in terms of redeployment. The two-year master's, it seems, is here for good. There are teachers across the UAE who have been there five, ten or 15 years and if they return to Ireland, they will start on the lowest point of the pay scale. Those are key items that the Minister could take to address and it would go some way in alleviating the teacher shortage. The shortage is there and these are practical measures the Minister could take.
I think I have been clear as Minister that nothing is off the table but I have also shown that I am willing to take action on certain measures. Reducing the length of time for permanent contracts was the first one. Only in recent weeks, I made sure that people who have qualified abroad can have their skills recognised here, and I am doing it for a longer period and potentially putting that on a more permanent footing.
The two-year master's and the redeployment.
We need to look at all of those.
These are the questions that the Minister will not answer.
Deputy, please.
I think I have been very clear.
No, the Minister has not answered the questions.
The Deputy either wants to hear the answer or does not.
Let the Minister answer the question.
The Deputy either wants to hear the answer or does not.
The Minister is not answering it. That is the point.
I cannot do everything at once. What I have said clearly is that I am willing to look at every measure. In fact, I have met with the unions many times. My teams engage with them regularly on all of the issues that the Deputy has outlined but he is talking about giving teachers an opportunity to move from Dublin to other areas when it is clear that the shortages are in Dublin and some of the larger populated areas. We have to take every issue into consideration when we are making changes to any structure or resource that might be in place. We also have to look at whether the options that the Deputy is talking about would assist us in bringing more teachers into the system. I am keen on supporting the ones who are there and making sure that we have more people coming into the profession as well.
5. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a new school building project (details supplied); if she is aware that planning permission was granted for these schools in November 2020; the reason for the delays in bringing this project to construction; the indicative timeline for construction, commencement and completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60169/25]
I want to ask the Minister for an update on a new school building project for Coláiste Ríoga and Dunshaughlin Community National School in Dunshaughlin, County Meath. Is she is aware that planning permission was granted for these schools in November 2020? It is now November 2025. What is the reason for the delays in bringing this project to construction and the indicative timeline for construction, commencement and completion?
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am conscious and aware of both schools. I regularly visit schools, including the two the Deputy has mentioned.
My Department has a strong focus on provision for school place needs, underpinned by robust forward planning including demographic analysis informed by residential development plans. Dunshaughlin is an area that has seen significant growth. It will continue to see that growth, thankfully, in the years head.
Under the NDP, my Department's approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance while, of course, providing the necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project roll-out over the course of the period 2026 to 2030 to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.
The major building project for the schools referred to by the Deputy, Coláiste Ríoga and Dunshaughlin Community National School, are part of my Department's employer-led design programme and will be delivered as a campus project, providing additional school places to meet the needs of the growing population.
This campus will deliver a new primary school, which includes two classrooms for children with special educational needs. It also includes a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school, including six classrooms for children with special educational needs.
These projects progressed to tender on 12 December 2024 and the tender period closed on 26 February. After due diligence was carried out and discussions with contractors, the companies that placed first and second withdrew their tenders. This is not something that always happens but, unfortunately, in this instance, it did. The letter of intent then issued to the third tenderer on 15 August - only in the past few months - and subsequent discussions regarding reserved specialist contractors are almost concluded.
These schools will meet a rising demand for school places in the Dunshaughlin area, which has seen increased residential developments, and will respond to what is a very clear need within both communities. My Department will continue to keep the school authorities informed with regard to getting construction commenced on this urgently required project. I hope we will be able to make progress in the very near future. We are coming towards the end of that current stage. It is again important to stress, and I think the community realises this, that there were a number of issues more recently in terms of the tender. The fact that contractors withdrew meant the timelines that had been set were, unfortunately, delayed. However, we are still on track to be able to start this project as soon as possible.
The community will hang on the Minister's every word in relation to this. For clarity, regarding the letter of intent issued to the third contractor, are part of the works separated off? My understanding is that a letter of authorisation is due. What is the next step on that?
That is the next stage.
Is it a letter of acceptance? Is it the case that the project has been divided up and there are subcontractors? The Minister mentioned specialist work. Is that related to the struggle to get contractors to commit to this project? Is there a new approach in that regard? Obviously, there are delays in this that are very frustrating. Will she indicate, given she said it would be as soon as is possible, when we might expect that letter of acceptance will issue and the next step after that?
There is nothing unusual or different in this project. I cannot fully commit to the reasons other contractors pulled out. Perhaps there was other work they were doing and there was too heavy a load. Again, we cannot change the reasons for it. We can just make sure that the work is being done now to make sure the next stage can be moved onto as quickly as possible. There are no delays at present. It is a matter of going through the different stages, including the paperwork and the information that has been provided. The next stage is to offer the letter of acceptance, which then means we can start the building, get the builders on-site and move along with these projects, which is something the school community wants to see happen. I am absolutely committed to this. To be clear, the funding is there. The money is ready to start the project. It is just to move on to this final stage. Once we get to that stage, the community, and the school community in particular, will be informed.
There are a couple of issues. There is real frustration in relation to this. As I said, planning was granted in 2020. There will be a need for additional prefab space in both of these schools come next September because pupils will not be in them. We can all agree to that due to the fact we have not got contracts signed. From speaking to people very close to not only this project, but other projects, and colleagues around the country, there is a concern about capital projects in the education sector. I have spoken to contractors who say it is not easy dealing with the Department; that there have been changes in the Department; that projects are being delayed related to that; and that there were flexibilities and co-operations that were custom and practice, which are not happening now. This is a major concern, not only in Dunshaughlin but across the State. Other Deputies will have questions later on school building projects. Is this recognised by the Minister and the Department? What can be done to address that?
Over the past five years alone, 1,300 projects have been progressed. These are new schools, large-scale projects, additional accommodation projects and emergency works projects. There have been 1,300 projects over the past five years. That is €6 billion that is being spent right across the country. Looking at the work that has been done, I compliment the work of the building unit and the team in the Department because we and they are a team that can deliver a significant amount of work within the budget we have. Obviously, the more money we have, the more schools we will be able to build. We now have a budget of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth out to 2030. My intention is that as many projects as possible will be moved within that overall budget I have.
I also compliment both schools in question, including the principals and all of the teachers, and the community national school in particular, because I appreciate they are on the grounds of a football pitch. They have worked really well with the local community and GAA team as well, but they are working within a confined space. My absolute priority, and similarly for Coláiste Ríoga, which is working on a temporary site, is to get them into their permanent accommodation as quickly as possible to make sure the students who are there benefit from that permanent accommodation.
6. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the survey of primary school parents and guardians and parents and guardians of children not yet in school on their preferences on important aspects of school provision and choice in their community, as committed to in the programme for Government. [59853/25]
I am looking for an update on the survey for primary school parents and guardians on their preferences for school provision and choice in their community that was launched today. I thank the Minister for that. Will she include in her response what happens if a need is established through the survey? What impact will this have on secondary school choice? Will there be a follow-on survey for secondary schools? It does impact on my Dublin City Council part of Dublin West.
I was pleased to be in a position to officially launch the new online survey for our primary schools today. This essentially enables parents and guardians of children in primary school, and of those who will attend primary school, and the teachers, staff and boards of management in our primary schools, to take part in a survey. There were three very simple and straightforward questions in the survey: whether people want their school be single sex or co-educational; whether they want their child or children to be taught through the medium of English or Irish; and whether they want their school to have a denominational or multidenominational ethos or religious or non-religious patronage.
The whole objective of this survey is for the Department, for the first time, to get a clear understanding of what it is that parents want in education provision for their children. The curriculum is the same and is taught the same irrespective of what school they are in, but for all of the other areas I mentioned, we have not ever had a survey of this kind where we are surveying parents of over 800,000 young people. It is important we get that information.
To give some context, the number of young people in co-educational schools is at 90%. Only 10% are same-sex schools, so that question perhaps only applies to a smaller number of people. The number of young people in our schools who are being taught through the medium of Irish is at 8%, so 92% are being taught through the medium of English. Do we want to see a greater increase or level of provision for our Gaelscoileanna? That will, hopefully, support and complement the two new strategies I am launching later this week. In relation to patronage, 95% of our schools have a religious ethos. The majority are Catholic in ethos, others are Church of Ireland, there are a small number of other schools and 5% are multi-denominational. Do we have a desire and demand from parents to provide more diverse opportunities for different types of patronages?
It is very important that as many people as possible take this survey. I encourage, within the Deputy's constituency and others, parents and guardians to take this survey so we get a clearer picture. While there are not the same percentages for post-primary schools - it is about 50:50 at the moment on patronage between multidenominational and denominational - there is potentially an opportunity after this survey to see whether there is demand in certain areas, where there is maybe a more skewed percentage, to do something similar or to ask those questions of parents as well.
I thank the Minister. I also thank her for launching the survey. It is an issue that impacts the Dublin City Council part of Dublin West at primary and secondary school level. The area is not served well enough in terms of access to or choice of secondary schools. Pelletstown has a Dublin 15 postcode but is not in the catchment area for Dublin 15 schools. People there live in the Cabra-Glasnevin electoral area but are in the Finglas school area. For our Dublin 7 neighbourhoods, only 40% of the children living in the area attend local schools because the geographical area is not prioritised enough in school admission policies. There simply is not enough choice, which is driving students further afield. We have two single-sex Catholic schools and a mixed non-denominational school, which is growing and growing well, but will not serve the needs of the whole community for some time. Local capacity is not serving local families.
What is the plan after the primary schools? How will this impact secondary schools? Will there be a follow-on survey for secondary schools?
While this survey is for primary schools, this will last for six weeks and then we will need time to collate that information and decide based on the responses where there needs to be further engagement with communities if there is a demand for change. On the issue of patronage, there is not the same breakdown that we might see in primary schools. About 50% of our post-primary schools are denominational and about 50% are non-denominational. However, I accept that in certain areas that is not the case and there is not as much choice for parents. There is validity in looking beyond this survey and potentially looking at certain areas to survey or to engage parents and see if there is a demand for particular changes in those areas.
We are doing this survey in the way that we have done because previously any surveys that were done were done on a smaller scale and they did not work as effectively. We have to take that into consideration in any type of survey or any type of engagement with post-primary schools. Certainly it is something that we need to keep open. We need to engage with schools, parents and communities on the matter and I am very much open to that.
I would also like to give a voice to those parents in terms of post-primary choice.
I take the opportunity to mention funding resources for special schools. I thank the Minister for the increase in the capitation grant in the budget. It is something that we had discussed at the education committee and I know it was on her agenda. I am always pushing for more resources. As I have mentioned previously, on the allowances for special schools, they may have 70 staff but the allowances for principals are based on how many teachers they have, whereas special school could have 70 staff made up of SNAs, escorts, cleaning staff and caretakers. They obviously then do not get those allowances. One of the suggestions coming from our principals is the introduction of an AP1 for special schools because that would help manage all the staffing. If such a school had 70 teachers, it would have a huge staffing team to manage that but special schools do not have that and they really need it.
I acknowledge the Deputy's absolute commitment to supporting our special schools and supporting children with additional needs. Working with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, I was really pleased to have been able to secure additional funding in the budget. There was an anomaly there when students reached the age of 12 that they were not receiving the capitation funding that other students in mainstream schools were getting. It is important that was levelled and that anomaly was changed. The Minister of State and I are open to looking at further ways in which we can support our special schools and support the staff in the schools in particular.
Yesterday I was in Cara Community School, a new special school opened in my constituency with fantastic staff and teams there. We need to make sure that we are doing everything to support those teachers in what can often be a challenging but really rewarding and a really important school environment. I am very much open to looking at how we can support those working in the schools and whether there are changes or introductions of new posts or levels that we can provide that would take some of that pressure off and support those schools in different ways.
