Written Answers. - Schools Funding.
Ivor Callely
Question:
438
Mr. Callely
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the progress made in improving capitation grants, grant assistance, secretarial and caretaking assistance, and other supports to schools over the past four years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22590/01]
The Government has placed a high priority on increasing funding to schools. In recent years I have provided significant increases in existing funding and have also introduced new funding arrangements in some areas. The quality of the primary and second level infrastructure has been significantly improved over the past four years through a programme of sustained capital investment. At the end of 2000, £81 million has been expended on capital projects at primary level and £112 million has been expended at second level on school capital projects. For the current year I have provided at primary and second level an unprecedented £93 million and £129 million respectively for investment in school infrastructure.
Recent developments at primary level include significant improvements in the level of the standard capitation grant. I increased the rate of the capitation grant for primary schools from the £45 per pupil that applied in 1997 to £75.50 last September, and a rate of £80 will apply from September this year. This constitutes an increase of some 77% over that period.
Children attending special schools and special classes attached to ordinary schools attract a special increased rate of capitation funding. For example, the special capitation rate applicable to children with a mild general learning disability is £278.50 for children under 12 years and £438.50 for older children. Children with autism attract a rate of £451.50.
My Department allocates supplementary funding in disadvantaged schools at primary level through a number of measures. These include the disadvantaged areas scheme, the Breaking the Cycle pilot project and the new programme – Giving Children an Even Break. In the case of schools in the disadvantaged areas scheme, an extra £30 is paid per pupil in the form of capitation grants, which covers heating and general running costs, equipment and materials and a home-school-community liaison grant for activities with parents. Schools in this scheme also qualify for a yearly refund of their television licence fee and a 95% grant for building projects. Pupils attending schools in the Breaking the Cycle scheme also attract the £30 supplementary capitation funding that is paid to schools in the disadvantaged areas scheme.
Additional grants are also allocated in respect of materials and equipment. Almost 2,300 primary schools will receive supplementary grants for the next three years under the major new disadvantage programme, Giving Children an Even Break, based on the levels of disadvantaged pupils in the schools, at the rate of £50 per disadvantaged pupil, with a minimum payment of £750 to each school. Schools already in receipt of additional resources under the disadvantaged areas scheme or Breaking the Cycle will retain their entitlements under those schemes.
My Department operates a devolved grant scheme to enable minor works to be carried out to national school properties. Payment is made every school year at a rate of £3,000 per school plus £10 per pupil. The scheme is intended to cover minor improvements to school buildings and grounds, replacement of mechanical and electrical services, the purchase of furniture and the provision of floor coverings and blinds. If there are no outstanding works to be undertaken at the school under these headings, the school authorities may expend the grant on items of equipment such as computers, overhead projectors and photocopiers. Subject to compliance with the terms of the scheme, expenditure of the grant is entirely at the discretion of the school authorities.
Over the past three years, my Department has also provided grant assistance to schools to meet their running costs by means other than the capitation grant or the minor works grant. For instance, in relation to the provision of secretarial and caretaking assistance to schools, I increased the rates of grant towards secretarial and caretaking services by 33% from £30 per pupil to £40 per pupil with effect from January 2000. Furthermore, with effect from September 2000, I extended the scheme to all primary schools. In addition, I have set a minimum grant of £2,400 per annum, which is payable to all schools with 60 pupils or less.
These improvements mean that for the first time all primary schools now qualify for an annual grant to assist them with the provision of secretarial and caretaking services. The Government's commitment in this regard can also be measured by the fact that the funding allocated for this purpose, which was some £5.6 million in 1999, increased in 2000 to some £12.2 million and will further increase substantially this year.
In 1999, I introduced an annual physical education grant for all primary schools. Under the terms of this grant all schools designated as disadvantaged plus schools in the rural phase of the Breaking the Cycle scheme will receive an annual grant of £1,000 per school while all other schools will receive £500 per school.
Under my Department's IT2000 programme, grants in excess of £13.1 million have been paid, since 1998, in respect of the educational IT equip ment and software needs of ordinary national schools, special schools and special needs classes.
In addition to the commitments outlined above, my Department has also issued a number of other grants to schools over the past three years to assist them with the purchase of various resources. These grants include a library grant in December 1998, a science grant and an infants grant in October 1999, a national reading initiative grant in December 1999, a visual arts grant in November 2000 and a curriculum – arts – grant in November 2000. The total value of these grants amounts to approximately £19.5 million.
At primary level, in addition to the funding improvements outlined above, substantial progress has been made in providing additional supports to schools. The measures introduced to date include: the introduction of the scheme of release time for teaching principals with paid substitution cover for the 2000/2001 school year; the appointment of administrative principals to ordinary schools with an enrolment of 180 pupils and Gaelscoileanna with an enrolment of 158 pupils on 30 September 2000 in the 2001-02 school year; and the appointment of administrative principals to ordinary schools where there are ten or more teachers includingex quota posts.
At second level, theper capita grant was increased to £184 from £177 in 1999. I further increased the grant by £8 from September last year to £192 and by £10 from September this year, bringing the standard per capita grant over £200 for the first time. For a school with 500 pupils, this amounts to an extra £12,500 per annum, and a total capitation grant of £101,000 towards general expenses. An additional per capita grant of £30 per pupil is paid to disadvantaged schools bringing the total grant in the case of such a school with 500 pupils to £116,000.
In addition, I have introduced the school services support fund. This is a new initiative under which schools now receive additional annual funding of £20 per pupil with a minimum payment for smaller schools of £4,000 per school. This fund will channel an additional £7 million to second level schools each year. I have also provided for an increase in the grant scheme for school books for needy pupils in post-primary schools to some £4.7 million for year 2001. This represents an increase of almost 20% on the amount provided in 1996.
Furthermore, students whose parents hold medical cards have been exempted from the payment of entry fees for the certificate examinations.
Schools have also benefited under the IT initiative. Since 1998, £41 million will have been allocated to second-level schools under the initiative towards educational ICT infrastructural development and software needs of schools. All schools are eligible for recurrent grants towards special classes – £158 per pupil – and curricular support grants, namely transition year – £50, leaving certificate applied – £125, physics and chemistry – £10, and introductory grant for the junior certificate schools programme – £50. Other grants have also issued to schools over the past three years to assist them with the purchase of various resources. Grants amounting, in total, to £5 million were channelled to schools under the library and national reading initiative. Under the science initiative, in addition to theper capita grant of £10 introduced in 1999, grants of £10,500 per school at a cost of approximately £7 million were paid in 2000 towards the cost of science equipment.
Arising from the PCW agreement on teachers' pay and conditions, middle management in second level schools has been improved through the creation of significant numbers of additional posts of responsibility. In addition, over the past two years, in excess of 1,200 new teaching posts have been created at second level. Schools have welcomed these improvements. It is my intention to improve further the financial position of primary and second level schools to the extent that the availability of resources permits.
