Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht Thomas Byrne today announced updated Procedures on the use of School Buildings and School Sports Facilities outside of School Hours.
The updated procedures highlight the value and importance of school buildings and school sports facilities being used outside of school hours.
The objective of these procedures is to build on the strong track record of schools opening facilities to local communities so that opportunities for facilitating access are maximised to the greatest extent possible. To encourage the greater use of such facilities, the Department of Education will provide schools with a guarantee that any income from after-school use of their facilities will not affect their State grants, capitation fees or any other form of departmental funding.
To broaden awareness and improve access to the facilities, the department is putting arrangements in place for information on schools willing to make their facilities available outside of school hours (or already doing so) to be available for local communities.
As part of the department’s centennial commemorations in October 2024, a showcase event is planned for schools who are making their facilities available to communities. This showcase event will highlight the impact of schools in local communities.
The benefits of school buildings and school sports facilities being used outside of school hours include:
The updated procedures have been developed following engagement with stakeholders in the education sector and relevant government departments. The procedures replace the ‘Guidelines on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours’, which were issued in October 2017.
The updated procedures also clarify the steps necessary to establish a crèche or pre-school within an existing building or on the grounds of a school. While the primary purpose of schools is the provision of primary and post-primary education the department is supportive of the use of available school property by childcare providers if there is space available and it does not interfere with the day-to-day running of the school. Supporting the provision of after-school childcare is very important and is strongly encouraged.
The new procedures have built upon the previous guidelines and emphasise certain requirements including the need for legal arrangements to be put in place, insurance, and that the proposed out-of-school hours activities should not affect the future development of the school. Much of the information in the procedures is now in bullet point format and there are a set of checklists in the appendices to facilitate ease of use.
Schools are reminded to seek the permission of their patron before making school facilities available.
Requests
Any requests for Patron/Trustee approval or queries on the above may be directed to;
Archdiocese of Cashel & Emly and the Diocese of Limerick may be directed to Gwen O’ Sullivan, 061 347777 or gwen.osullivan@limerickdiocese.org
Dioceses of Killaloe & Kerry may be directed to Linda Fleming, 061 347777 or linda.fleming@limerickdiocese.org