'I hate asking parents for money': Primary schools struggle amid the cost-of-living crisis 

'The different activities that we would have had for children in years gone by, you wouldn’t have even thought about it — now you are questioning if we can afford it. That’s where the children are really missing out.' Stock picture: PA

Primary school principal Marie McKeogh counts herself fortunate. Her school, St Nessan’s National School on the outskirts of Limerick city, has a hall and classrooms that it can rent to the local communities of Mungret, Raheen, and Crecora.

“That’s making up for a shortfall of about 40% of our monthly budget,” she explained.

“Looking through the finances, we are making up 40% ourselves, through fundraising, through renting out halls. 

We could end up €70,000 to €80,000 in debt if we did not have a really good parents association, and a hall and classrooms to rent.

“If we didn’t have our hall, we’d literally be turning off the lights. We’d be cutting our cleaning, and there’d be no co-curricular activities. That’s the reality of it.”

Ms McKeogh has 15 years’ worth of experience when it comes to managing annual education budgets, describing herself as “quite familiar” with school finances.

St Nessan’s National School in Limerick. Principal Marie McKeogh says: 'If we didn’t have our hall [to rent out] we’d literally be turning off the lights... That’s the reality of it.' File picture

“It can be easier sometimes for a larger school to manage finances, because you can absorb a lot of the costs. It’s tough going.”

'Capitation rise is not enough'

From September, the capitation grant to primary schools is to be increased, from €200 to €224 per student for the standard rate. 

This funding from the Department of Education is intended to cover day-to-day running costs a school incurs.

But, despite the incoming increase, primary schools say they are struggling to keep up with rising costs fuelled by inflation and the general cost-of-living crisis.

It’s possible the extent of issues would have been to the fore in previous years had schools not received cost-of-living payments as part of previous budgets.

Principal to almost 700 students, Ms McKeogh said she is conscious of how much is asked of parents when it comes to making up for gaps.

“I hate asking,” she says. “We’re always asking for money. We ask for money at the start of the year for our photocopying and for co-curricular activities. We tried to keep that down, particularly after covid, but we increased it this year.”

Transport is another area affected.

We used to subsidise a lot of buses for trips. We can’t do that anymore, it’s just not even an option. It’s just far too expensive. 

Swimming lessons are the latest thing — they’ve doubled in costs in the last five years. It’s part of the curriculum, but you get no funding to implement the aquatic side of the PE curriculum.

“A lot of families couldn’t pay it so we’d cover those costs too. You’re not going to leave children out of swimming lessons. Same with school tours.”

While she’s very grateful for the funding the school does receive, it’s “just simply not enough”, she said. “It is nowhere near enough to fund the running of school anymore.”

Contributing to the problem is a whole range of new costs associated with the running of a modern school.

“Things like Aladdin (a computer-based admin system), that’s essential now to the running of the school but the cost of that creeps up every year.”

Staff training is becoming more expensive, she added.

Training costs money 

“And it’s expected now of schools. Boards of management also have to cover CPD [continuing professional development] for staff, and the level of need and the complexity coming in means we do a lot more training with SNAs. That all costs money.”

Health and safety training is now also required for diabetes, epilepsy, fire safety, and manual handling. Classrooms have interactive whiteboards, and digital devices that need licensing and subscriptions covered as well as IT maintenance.

“It’s coming out of the same amount of money we had 10 years ago.” This all has a knock-on impact on the teaching and learning in a school. “Now, you are thinking twice about entering them into the competition because the cost of buses is just too much.”

 

'At the moment, we get €1.10 per pupil per academic day. In September, with the increase, that will increase to €1.23, an increase of just 13 cent.' Stock picture: Danny Lawson/PA

In Drogheda, Co Louth, principals Edel Ní Bhroin and Sarah Bradley oversee Scoil Aonghusa and St Joseph’s CBS respectively. The two mixed schools share the same campus: Scoil Aonghusa is a Gaelscoil and St Joseph’s is a Deis school.

“There’s absolutely no question,” said Ms Ní Bhroin. “Schools at the moment are really inadequately funded. 

"At the moment, we get €1.10 per pupil per academic day. In September, with the increase, that will increase to €1.23, an increase of just 13 cent in the difference. That money has to work really, really hard.”

The capitation grant is intended to cover heating, insurance, cleaning.

“It also includes toilet roll, soap, bin charges, water charges, accounts, fire extinguisher maintenance. Lots of schools now have lifts, and they require maintenance. 

"Now as principals, we say ‘no’ a lot. 

"The different activities that we would have had for children in years gone by, you wouldn’t have even thought about it — now you are questioning if we can afford it. That’s where the children are really missing out. 

Schools that never had financial difficulties are now running into a deficit, she added.

“I’ve been a principal for 23 years, I know how to budget. We always had to keep an eye on money, but we never actually had to angst over paying bills and ask ourselves, ‘do I pay this bill this week or do I hold it off?’ The only way schools are surviving at the moment is with the support of the community, fundraising and contributions from parents.”

Fundraising for the basics

Like many schools, they are making use of the deposit return scheme by way of fundraising. 

A parent also recently completed a 24-hour cycle in aid of the school. 'There’s something wrong with that,' said Ms Ní Bhroin.
 “We are talking about covering the fundamental basics — lighting, heating, and insurance.”

Maintenance costs are another big issue for Sarah Bradley, as the school is located in an older building.

“Our school got €12,000 under the minor works grant. It was an absolute drop in the ocean compared to what is needed to maintain a building of this age and stage. 

"We got a quote to get new flooring in two rooms; It was the entire grant. We get a Deis grant, which is a great thing to have — we wouldn’t survive without it — but there are very specific things you can spend the money on. You can’t say ‘I’ll spend my IT grant on this’, you have to account for everything.

"The problem isn’t going to go away until there is equality between the capitation paid to primary schools and secondary schools. 

Even with the increase we will receive in September, primary schools are due €224 per child, while secondary school students are due €386. There’s a huge discrepancy there. 

Businesses couldn’t run like this, Marie McKeogh points out.

“What other workplace would you be trying to figure out how much money you’d have in two months’ time to pay for lighting or heating? You’d be bankrupt and close down within a year. 

"The bottom line is that I am very grateful that we got an increase in the capitation grant, and I understand that everyone is pulling out of the Government for money, I get that. But there are so many things they could do that would help. 

"The first thing would be a schedule of grants at the start of the year so the schools know exactly what’s coming in so you could budget.

“They also need to take a look at the costs of running a primary school, they have changed. They are not keeping up with the times. The €24 extra per student just doesn’t cut it at all.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said it is committed to providing funding to primary and post-primary schools. 

“The commitment in the programme for government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including a €30m permanent increase in capitation funding to assist all schools at primary and post-primary level, now and longer term, with increased day-to-day running costs, through Budget 2025.

“This represents an increase of circa 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates.

“This increase is on top of the approximately 9.2% increase from Budget 2024.”