Our three key priorities for education are:

1. Increase multi-denomination school choice – we’ll implement an ambitious programme of divestment from schools currently under religious patronage to increase choice for parents and students.
2. Make education truly free – we’ll ban voluntary contributions and ensure annual capitation payments to schools match the real running costs.
3. Rights of children with additional needs – we’ll introduce an ‘Autism Guarantee’ to ensure an appropriate school place for every child and increase capitation funding for special schools and classes integrated into mainstream school.

Other key issues are the shortage of teachers, and the failure to plan for enough secondary school places with huge demand in many communities. Labour has plans to address both.

How will we do this:

A new National Convention on Education – we need to plan for a modern, secular and equality- based model of education. It is more than 30 years since we last held an honest and future focused conversation about the future of education – we need to do so again, urgently.

Tackle Disadvantage with DEIS+ – DEIS is the programme, first introduced by Labour Minister for Education, Niamh Bhreathnach, that tackles education disadvantage. We will introduce a new DEIS+ cluster of new targeted supports for the most disadvantaged schools and ensure all DEIS schools have the appropriate level of funding to thrive, fund more teachers to provide for smaller classes and focus on important literacy and school completion initiatives.

Smaller class sizes – smaller class sizes can radically improve teaching outcomes. In Ireland we have some of the largest class sizes in Europe, at nearly 23:1. We’ll reduce class sizes to at least the European average of 20 pupils per teacher.

Address the teacher staffing crisis – School principals across the country struggle to fill teaching posts – It’s no exaggeration to say it’s a crisis. Labour will establish a taskforce to bring forward practical solutions to increase recruitment and retention in the teaching profession, including developing key worker housing for public servants, salary increments for those who have worked abroad and ensure that people from all social and ethnic backgrounds see teaching as a valuable and attractive profession.

Further supports for children with additional needs – In addition to the ‘Autism Guarantee’ we’ll provide a right to assessment of educational needs and an individual education plan for students with additional needs. We’ll also focus on adequate SNA provision and value SNAs role in our education system.