1.4 Expenditure on primary and
1.4 Expenditure on primary and post-primary education
Ireland’s overall expenditure on primary and post-primary education has grown
Ireland’s overall expenditure on primary and post-primary education grew steadily between 2016 and 2018, as presented in Table 1.2 below. Over the two-year period, expenditure increased by €1.1bn, or 16.5%; within this, primary expenditure rose by 13.2% and post-primary expenditure rose by 15.3%. Over recent budgets, additional resources were made available to schools, including the delivery of thousands of extra teaching and special needs assistant (SNA) posts, increased capitation in schools, enhanced supports for school leadership, and an improved staffing schedule in primary schools.
Table 1.2: Public expenditure on education €m, 2016 – 2018*
| 2016 (€m) | 2017 (€m) | 2018 (€m) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total public expenditure on educatoi n of which | 9,955 | 10,420 | 11,062 |
| Primary | 3,345 | 3,606 | 3,785 |
| Post-primary | 3,026 | 3,219 | 3,490 |
| Total for Primary and Post-primary | 6,371 | 6,825 | 7,275 |
Source: Statistics Section, Department of Education *2018 is the most recent year for which total expenditure is available
Ireland’s overall public expenditure on school education, as a percentage of total public expenditure, compares favourably with OECD countries
Ireland’s public expenditure on primary education as a percentage of total public expenditure remained fairly constant between 2016 and 2018, rising from 4.4% to 4.5% over the period (Table 1.3). This compares very favourably with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries where the average stood at 3.4% over the period. For the post-primary sector, expenditure rose from 4% of total public expenditure to 4.2%, similar to the OECD average of 4.4%. However, it should be noted that this growth in expenditure took place at a time when demand in terms of student numbers had grown and provision for students with special educational needs had expanded. As will be noted later in this section, Ireland compares less favourably with these countries in relation to spending per student.
Table 1.3: Public expenditure on primary and post-primary education as a percentage of total government expenditure 2016–2018, €m
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total public expenditure, €m | 76,500 | 78,929 | 83,786 |
| Primary expenditure as % | 4.4% | 4.6% | 4.5% |
| OECD average | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| Post-primary expenditure as % | 4.0% | 4.1% | 4.2% |
| OECD average | 4.5% | 4.4% | 4.4% |
Source: OECD (2021) Education at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/education/ education-at-a-glance/
The Department continued to invest in the DEIS programme and the School Excellence Fund-DEIS programme was launched
The Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is the Department’s main policy instrument to tackle educational disadvantage. The Department continued to invest significantly in this programme with funding increasing between 2016 and 2018 (Table 1.6). In September 2017, 79 additional schools were included in the programme and 30 schools were upgraded from Band 2 to Band 1 status. An additional €5m was allocated to meet the initial costs of this in 2017, with a further €10m allocated from 2018 onwards to cover the annual costs of the increased number of schools (Table 1.4). Other than the inclusion of new schools in 2017, the number of schools in the DEIS programme remained largely unchanged between 2005 and 2017. In the 2019/20 academic year, the DEIS Programme was available in 891 schools serving over 185,000 students.
During the 2016-2018 period, the School Completion Programme was funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (now the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth) and the School Meals Programme was funded by the Department of Social Protection (DSP)24. Both of these programmes are DEIS school supports. The School Excellence Fund (SEF) was launched in November 2017 and the funding provided for innovative programmes in DEIS schools under SEF-DEIS more than doubled between 2018 and 2019.
Table 1.4: Funding related to DEIS €m, 2016-2020
| 2016 (€m) | 2017 (€m) | 2018 (€m) | 2019 (€m) | 2020 (€m) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall expenditure on DEIS (DE) | 110 | 115 | 125 | 125 | 125 |
| School Excellence Fund | NIL | NIL | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| School Completion Programme (DCEDIY) | 24.7 | 24.7 | 24.7 | 24.7 | 24.7 |
| School Meals Programme (DSP)25 | 36.9 | 46.6 | 49.2 | 54.3 | 53.5 |
Source: Department of Education
Significant growth continued in expenditure related to special educational needs
Expenditure on provision for learners with special educational needs (SEN) for primary and post-primary schools has grown considerably over the last decade. In 2020, overall expenditure by the Department, including that for primary and post-primary schools, was just over €2 billion, and represented an increase of 64% since 2011, up from €1.25 billion (Table 1.5). The expenditure grew each year from 2016 to 2020 and reflected considerable increases in special education teachers, SNAs, and school transport expenditure. In 2020, SEN expenditure represented over 19% of the Department’s budget.
24 In January 2021, Tusla Education Support Services, including SCP, transferred from the remit of the Minister for DCEDIY to the remit of the Minister for Education. 25 These figures reflect the overall expenditure by the Department of Social Protection on the School Meals Programme. The programme is offered to all DEIS schools, but also includes provision for a small number of schools that are not in the DEIS programme, for example through the Hot School Meals pilot.
Table 1.5: Expenditure on special educational needs 2016-2020 (€m)
| 2016 (€m) | 2017 (€m) | 2018 (€m) | 2019 (€m) | 2020 (€m) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachers | 903.3 | 953.8 | 1,056.6 | 1,151.3 | 1,218.8 |
| SNAs | 428.3 | 478.1 | 520.3 | 564.4 | 613.7 |
| School Transport | 83.5 | 91.8 | 107.6 | 120.9 | 117.6 |
| Further Education (Including National Training Fund) | 47.4 | 47.1 | 46.3 | 43.7 | 42.8 |
| NEPS26 | 16.9 | 18.5 | 19.3 | 20.4 | 21.1 |
| NCSE | 8.0 | 1127 | 13.0 | 14.1 | 14.2 |
| 3rd Level Student Disabilities Fund | 7.6 | 9.8 | 10.1 | 11.1 | 7.8 |
| Additional Capitation | 10.4 | 8.2 | 8.9 | 9.3 | 10.00 |
| Miscellaneous Grants (Exams, ICDU, Equipment etc.) | 18.2 | 18.1 | 13.4 | 13.9 | 7.8 |
| TOTAL | 1,523.6 | 1636.4 | 1,795.5 | 1,949.2 | 2,053.6 |
Source: Department of Education
Funding was provided towards an extended school year for children with severe or profound learning disability or with an autism spectrum disorder; the level of funding increased considerably in 2020 to mitigate the impact of COVID-19
During the 2016-2020 period, the Department continued to fund the July Provision Programme Grant Scheme. This initiative provides funding towards an extended school year for children with a severe or profound general learning disability or children with autism. Table 1.6 shows that there has been a considerable increase in funding over the period to which this report refers. The most notable increase was in 2020 where the additional funding provided was aimed at mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and school closures on the learning and wellbeing of children with ASD.
| Table 1.6: Expenditure on July Provision 2016-2020, €m 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 (€m) (€m) (€m) (€m) (€m) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 (€m) | 2017 (€m) | 2018 (€m) | 2019 (€m) | 2020 (€m) | |
| July Provision | 12.6 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 15.5 | 20.4 |
Source: Social Inclusion Unit, Department of Education
In 2020, the funding facilitated an expanded programme for children with special educational needs and students in DEIS schools
In 2020, the government provided additional funding to facilitate a significantly expanded summer programme for children with special educational needs and also for students in DEIS schools. The aim
26 The psychological services provided by NEPS support all children and young people in schools, including those with SEN. The expansion of the NEPS service over the 2016-2020 period was largely to support the wellbeing of all children and young people, albeit with a particular focus on those with SEN and those attending DEIS schools. 27 In 2017, the NCSE expanded to include Visiting Teachers, Special Education Support Service (SESS) and National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS).
was to help address the concerns that families were feeling over the loss of in-school time and learning for children with special educational needs and those at greatest risk of disadvantage. A total of 22,840 pupils benefited from the scheme at a cost of €20.4 million.
The traditional July Provision Programme changed to Summer Provision 2020-Reconnecting with Education which included a programme for children with complex special educational needs. This programme was a significant expansion on the July Provision programme of previous years with the eligibility criteria widened to include approximately 9,000 additional primary aged children with complex needs. All special schools and primary schools with special classes were invited to provide the school-based summer provision for their students. Home-based provision was available where a child’s local school was not providing a programme or did not have the capacity to accommodate a child in a planned programme that year. In total, 13,597 pupils availed of either school-based provision or home-based provision under the SEN programme (Table 1.7).
Numeracy and Literacy programmes were provided by 214 schools facilitating 7,000 pupils. Seventy-four DEIS post-primary schools availed of the funding to provide programmes for 2,243 students.
Table 1.7: Participation in Summer Provision Programme, €m, 2020
| 2020 Participation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Programmes | Number of schools | Pupils | Expenditure (€m) |
| Numeracy & Literacy | 214 | 7,000 | 1.0 |
| SEN School Based | 255 | 3,881 | 6.3 |
| SEN Home Based | N/A | 9,716 | 12.5 |
| DEIS Post-primary | 74 | 2,243 | 0.6 |
| TOTAL | 543 | 22,840 | 20.4 |
Source: Department of Education
Overall spending on continuing professional development for teachers increased from 2017. During the COVID-19 pandemic, expenditure decreased, but the level of CPD provided was similar to 2019
The Teacher Education Section of the Department funds Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes for primary and post-primary teachers in line with national priorities. From 2017, expenditure increased to faciliate the introduction and implementation of new curriculum frameworks at both primary and post-primary levels (Table 1.8).
Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery of CPD moved online during 2020. This did not impact on the level of CPD provided, and teachers and school leaders continued to access regular CPD events and a broad range of new CPD supports that were provided to assist schools with the move to remote teaching and learning. The level of CPD provided was similar to 2019.
However, the move to online provision of CPD did result in reduced expenditure in 2020 as some of the costs associated with face-to-face CPD provision did not arise. In addition, the amount of expenditure on part-time associates to deliver face-to-face CPD, and on travel, subsistence and ancillary costs reduced significantly.
Figure from page 27
| Table 1.8: Total spend28 by Teacher Education Section on teacher CPD, including leadership/SEN/inclusion | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 (€m) | 2017 (€m) | 2018 (€m) | 2019 (€m) | 2020 (€m) |
| 22.6 | 27.9 | 30.9 | 29.1 | 22.5 |
Source: Department of Education
There was significant capital expenditure on the building of new schools and to support improvement works in existing schools. A deep energy retrofit programme was piloted in older school buildings
During the 2016-2020 period, the total expenditure by the Department on the School Building Programme was three billion euro (Table 1.9). During this period, almost a thousand school building projects were delivered and over 100,000 additional and permanent replacement places29 were provided for students.
Table 1.9 Expenditure on the school building programme 2016-2020
| Period | School building programme. Total expenditure €m | Total number of school building projects delivered | Permanent student places delivered (additional and replacement** places) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-2020 | €3,000 | 963* | In excess of 100,000 |
Source: Department of Education *The number of projects includes the Large Scale and Additional Accommodation Scheme **Places provided as a result of refurbishment
During the 2016 to 2020 period, there was also expenditure of circa €271 million under the Department’s Minor Works Scheme, which relates to the provision of grants to schools primarily for the purpose of small-scale improvement works to school buildings and grounds. The expenditure on minor works during this period included €130m additional funding provided in 2020 to help schools to manage and operate in the exceptional circumstances arising from COVID-19.
Furthermore, in this period, progress was made on the provision of support for maintenance and smallerscale works to existing schools. Funding for these works is made available through the Summer Works Scheme and the Emergency Works Scheme respectively. The Summer Works Scheme devolves funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works, whilst the Emergency Works Scheme provides funding for urgent works to those schools that are most in need of resources, either as a result of an emergency situation or on receipt of an enrolment application from a pupil/student with special educational needs.
During the period 2016-2020, a deep energy retrofit programme was piloted. The purpose of the programme was to identify and test retrofit solutions for reducing energy consumption and achieving energy efficiencies in older school buildings. The pilot was carried out under a jointly funded ‘pathfinder programme’ with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), and resulted in the completion of 39 projects. The pathfinder programme is informing a national programme for the energy retrofit of primary and post-primary schools from 2023 onwards, as included in the National Development Plan.
28 The drop off in expenditure in 2020 does not relate to a reduction of supports. These savings arose from the move to online provision and the reduction of some of the costs associated with face-to-face CPD provision for example, travel and subsistence, ancillary costs and part time associates. 29 Permanent replacement places refer to places provided as a result of refurbishment.
In the 2016-2020 period, a number of inspectors were assigned to support the Planning and Building Unit (PBU) in the delivery of major school projects with respect to drawing up schedules of accommodation and conducting site visits. The inspectors assigned to the PBU also provided advice on the development of school design to further support and enhance teaching and learning, and the updating of equipment specifications to ensure that they are relevant to new syllabi such as the new Leaving Certificate Physical Education (LCPE) specification and Senior Cycle Physical Education Framework, and that they comply with current health and safety regulations.
1.5. Trends in participation and retention
The number of primary schools decreased; the number of post-primary schools increased and the number of special schools remained the same
During the period September 2016 to December 2020, there was a gradual decline in the overall number of primary schools, while the number of post-primary schools increased and the number of special schools remained the same (Table 1.10). The total number of primary schools declined by eight from 3,115 in 2016 to 3,107 in 2020. The reduction in primary schools during this period was largely due to the closure of small schools with declining enrolments and the amalgamation of schools in close proximity to each other. The increase of 19 post-primary schools during this period reflects the sharp rise in enrolments at this level.
Table 1.10: Number of state-funded primary schools, special schools and post-primary schools 2016-2020
| Year | Primary schools | Special schools (NCSE supported only) | Post-primary schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016/2017 | 3,115 | 114 | 711 |
| 2017/2018 | 3,111 | 114 | 715 |
| 2018/2019 | 3,106 | 114 | 722 |
| 2019/2020 | 3,106 | 114 | 723 |
| 2020/2021 | 3,107 | 114 | 730 |
Source: Statistics Section, Department of Education
The number of children has peaked in primary schools. The number of post-primary students continues to increase
The number of pupils in primary schools peaked in 2018 (Table 1.11). In 2020, enrolments at primary level stood at 561,411, down by almost 6,000 on 2019 (567,716). Enrolments at this level are now projected to fall over the coming years and may reach a low point of 440,551 by 2033 before rising again thereafter. The number of students in post-primary schools increased steadily during the 2016-2020 period and is projected to continue to grow until 2024/202530.
Figure from page 30
30 Department of Education and Skills (2021) Projections of full-time enrolment Primary and Second Level 2021 – 2040. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/ga/bailiuchan/projections/
Table 1.11: Number of children and young people enrolled (full-time in primary/post-primary level) in Department-aided schools and settings 2016-2020
| Year | Primary (including special schools) | Post-primary | Youthreach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016/2017 | 558,314 | 352,257 | N/A31 |
| 2017/2018 | 563,459 | 357,408 | 3,091 |
| 2018/2019 | 567,772 | 362,899 | 3,72532 |
| 2019/2020 | 567,716 | 371,450 | 2,67233 |
| 2020/2021 | 561,411 | 379,184 | N/A34 |
Source: Statistics Section, Department of Education. Also see Statistical Bulletin 2020/21 and Education Indicators for Ireland 2021 available at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/055810-education-statistics/#latest-statistical-reports
There are indications that the ECCE programme has had an impact on the age at which children start primary school
According to figures from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (previously the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA)), 806,359 children had availed of the ECCE Programme by 2019. By then, annual Government investment in the programme had increased from €104.9m to €285.5m per year.
There are indications that the ECCE programme has had an impact on the age at which children start primary school. While over the past twenty years, there has been a steady increase in the age at which children start junior infants in primary school, there has been a sharp increase in recent years. This is most likely due to the introduction of the ECCE scheme in 2010 and its expansion to two years in 2016. Overall, the proportion of four-year-olds (and younger) in junior infants has fallen from 46.7% in 2000 to 16.9% in 2020 (Table 1.12). The later starting age of children in primary school impacts on the potential age range within classes, and at various stages of schooling. It also has implications for the content and delivery of the Primary Curriculum 1999 which predates the ECCE Programme, in particular at Infant level.
Table 1.12: Age of children in junior infants
| School year | Percentage of junior infants who were aged four on 1 January in their first year at school |
|---|---|
| 2000/2001 | 46.7 |
| 2010/2011 | 39.2 |
| 2016/2017 | 27.3 |
| 2018/2019 | 20.9 |
| 2020/2021 | 16.9 |
Source: Department of Education (2021) Statistical Bulletin July 2021. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/055810-education-statistics/#latest-statistical-reports
31 Enrolments in Youthreach are extracted from the SOLAS Programme Learner Support Service (PLSS). As this database is relatively new, data for 2016/17 is not available. 32 Four of these students attended part-time. 33 A total of 271 of these students attended part-time and 84 attended online. 34 This data should be available in Q2 2022.
The absolute number of early school leavers remains fairly steady, but the gap in retention between DEIS and non-DEIS schools has not improved
Over the period to which this report refers, it is encouraging that retention rates have remained fairly constant (Table 1.13). While there is an increase in the number of early school leavers, enrolments have also risen so the absolute number of early school leavers remains fairly steady. However, over this time, the gap in retention to Leaving Certificate between DEIS and non-DEIS schools has not improved.
Table 1.13: Retention rates to Leaving Certificate (LC)
| Indicator | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 202035 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of early school leavers: started 5th year but did not sit LC in 6th year | 2,417 | 2,486 | 2,639 | 2,823 | 2,438 |
| % early school leavers: started 5th year but did not sit LC in 6th year | 4.3% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 4.9% | 4.2% |
| Retention rate in DEIS post-primary schools (%) LC completion | 84.4% | 85.0% | 84.7% | 83.8% | 84.8% |
| Gap in retention rates: DEIS vs non-DEIS post-primary schools | 8.5% | 8.5% | 8.7% | 9.3% | 8.6% |
Source: Statistics Section, Department of Education. Also see Retention Rates of Pupils in Second-Level Schools - 2014 Entry Cohort, at https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/retention/; Education Indicators for Ireland 2021 at https://www.gov.ie/ en/publication/055810-education-statistics/#latest-statistical-reports
Figure from page 32
35 Retention rate in 2020 is measured as the percentage of pupils who sit LC from the 2014 entry cohort.
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