Ministers McEntee and Moynihan announce details of €13.1 billion education and youth funding in Budget 2026
- Published on: 8 October 2025
- Last updated on: 8 October 2025
Focus on Tackling Educational Disadvantage and Investment in Special Education Additional Investment to Support Schools
Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee TD, and Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion Michael Moynihan TD have today (Wednesday) announced details of a total €13.1 billion investment in education and in youth services in Budget 2026 – an almost 7 per cent increase on last year.
Education Plan 2025, which aims to deliver a world-class education system that breaks down barriers and ensures every child can achieve their potential, clearly outlines the government’s commitment to education and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their full potential. Budget 2026 will not only take action to tackle educational disadvantage in schools, it will support the recruitment of teachers and SNAs, and provide important increased funding to schools.
Budget 2026 provides an increase of €845 million in core current funding for education and youth on the figure allocated for 2025, while the total investment figure also includes €1.6 billion allocated for 2026 as part of the National Development Plan 2026 – 2030.
This funding reflects the Government’s continued commitment, under the Programme for Government, to ensuring that every child and young person can learn, thrive and reach their full potential. It builds on the progress made in recent years, while recognising that further work is needed to make education more inclusive and equitable for all.
The key features include:
- Funding for 1,717 additional SNAs, bringing the total number of SNAs in schools to almost 24,900. This is the highest ever-number of SNAs allocated supporting the care needs of children in mainstream, special classes and special schools.
- Funding for 860 additional teachers for special education working in special classes and special schools, as well as special education teachers in mainstream settings, to support children with special educational needs. In total, there will be over 46,500 dedicated staff working in schools in 2026 to support children with special educational needs.
- €69 million investment to strengthen the School Transport scheme.
- €19 million funding for the continuation of important curricular development and related teacher education. This includes support for the ongoing delivery of Senior Cycle Redevelopment along with a range of other planned enhancements in the teaching and learning experience in our schools.
- €48 million full year cost to implement a new DEIS Plus scheme, commencing in September 2026 to support pupils and students with the highest risk of educational disadvantage and at risk of educational disadvantage in both DEIS and non-DEIS schools through a new DEIS plan. A new DEIS Plan will aim to narrow the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and introduce innovative solutions to tackle disadvantage.
- €16 million to continue the roll out of school therapy within special schools and extend it into mainstream schools. This will help to ensure all children and young people have access to essential speech and language and occupational therapy in a timely manner.
- €39 million towards increased capitation funding for primary, post-primary and special schools to provide additional financial support towards their running costs. This will see an increase in the standard capitation rates paid to schools of €50 per pupil for primary schools from €224 to €274 and of €20 per pupil for post-primary schools from €386 to €406. This will also allow for an increase in capitation rates for Urban Band One DEIS primary schools, of €20, increasing the mainstream pupil rate in these Urban Band One DEIS schools to €294. The increased capitation rates will also see special schools now receive the same rates of capitation for young people aged 12 and over, as their peers in mainstream post-primary schools.
- €8 million in current and capital increases will support the sustainability and development of youth services, providing tailored supports and spaces for our young people.
- €2 million in funding for the Convention on Education to provide a unique opportunity for children, young people, parents, educators and wider society to shape the education system going forward.
- €3 million towards increased school leadership supports, increasing the numbers of deputy principals in primary and post-primary schools
- €1.6 billion allocated to the National Development Plan in 2026 will support progressing the delivery of over 300 school building projects currently at construction with the majority expected to be completed in 2026 and 2027. It is also envisaged that circa 80 school building projects will progress to construction across 2026 and 2027 as part of two-year rolling programme.
Minister McEntee said:
“Every child and young person deserves the very best opportunity to thrive at school and realise their full potential. Budget 2026 builds on progress, and I'm committed to ensuring we have the right supports in place to make this possible. My focus is on supporting school communities with both targeted and universal measures, breaking down barriers, addressing disadvantage and helping every child to succeed.
“To support our school communities, I am increasing the level of state funding paid per pupil and student through capitation rates. This will improve the funding that schools have available to them to cover their costs.
“It is a key priority of mine that children and young people with special educational needs can attend school and receive the tailored supports they need to flourish. We are also investing to start the roll-out of school-based therapy services in special schools and extend these services into mainstream schools. This will not only ensure children who need them have timely access to individualised therapeutic interventions but will more broadly build the capacity of school communities to better support all pupils and students.
“It is so important to me that this budget includes significant funding to support pupils most at risk of educational disadvantage. This is the first year of an ambitious new programme of work on tackling educational disadvantage, building on work to date. I will be publishing a new DEIS plus scheme and new DEIS plan before the end of the year, outlining how we will target this essential increased investment in the first year of the new programme.
“Investment in our youth services, in addition, will strengthen the foundation for inclusive, high-quality provision and help to ensure continuity, expand reach and enable services to respond to the evolving needs of Ireland’s diverse youth population.”
Minister Moynihan said:
“It is an honour for me as Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion to have the opportunity to meet with teachers, SNAs, families, pupils and students the length and breadth of Ireland on my regular visits to schools.
“Their insights and experiences have been to the fore for me in developing the Special Education Budget for 2026, which has now surpassed €3 billion for the first time. This significant level of investment will help to ensure all our children and young people have every opportunity to fully thrive and reach their full potential.
"The provision of additional staffing to support children with additional needs is pivotal, which is why I'm pleased to see funding for 860 special education teachers and 1,717 special needs assistants in Budget 2026. This means we now have over 46,500 staff working in our schools dedicated to special education, which is the highest level yet.
"With capital funding in 2026 focusing on developing special education, combined with this increased staffing, it means we can create an additional 3,000 placements across special classes and special schools for the 2026/27 school year. This continues to build on the increasing investment in this space since 2020.
“Families and school communities have told me how important it is for pupils to be able to access therapies in a timelier way. This budget ensures the continued roll-out of the Educational Therapy Service next year, which will see speech and language and occupational therapists delivering therapies in schools during the school day, as well as additional resources and support to students in special schools, special classes and mainstream schools.
“The new DEIS plus scheme will provide additional resources and supports to schools with the very highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage. It will focus on supporting student wellbeing, increasing engagement with families, supporting school attendance, retention, student engagement and progression.
