An ESRI report released on 4th March 2025 has been welcomed by Fórsa members in the School Completion Programme.  

The report points to the crucial role of the programme. It recognises the commitment and efforts of staff in supporting children and young adults at risk of leaving school early.  

The programme consists of 121 projects covering 783 primary and post-primary schools across the country. These projects provide support to at risk students on a one-to-one, group or whole class basis. The report found that SCP and school staff view one-to-one interventions to be most effective as it allows SCP staff to address a student’s specific needs. 

Staffing levels were outlined as an impediment to fully supporting vulnerable students, reaffirming Fórsa’s campaigning on the issue.  

The report found that high student-staff ratios were more prevalent in medium and large projects, which led to “less frequent contact between coordinators and key school personnel, and more time spent on administration.” 

While at the same time, according to the report, rates of non-attendance and school avoidance have risen post pandemic, underlining “greater needs among the student population.”  

The report points to funding as a key issue facing the School Completion Programme. While it recognises that funding has increased since 2016, it underlines that funding “does not yet match the funding levels in place before the 2008 recession.” 

Welcoming the report, Michael Smyth, Fórsa Treasurer, and School Completion branch member, said, “when I became involved with union organising it was because I saw the really important work that myself and my colleagues in the SCP were doing, and how a lack of resources made it so much more difficult.” 

Michael said, “In 2023 when we won a WRC agreement for the application of public service salary scales to all SCP workers, we engaged with the department on staffing, funding, and the future of the SCP. It is great to see that so much of what we have been saying is repeated here by the ESRI.” 

Further security for SCP staff was won last year. Following extensive engagement with Fórsa, the Department of Education agreed to bring staff under the auspices of the ETB. 

Head of Education, Andy Pike said: “We warmly welcome this report, which confirms the value of the School Completion Programme to vulnerable students. The deficits in staffing and funding have been highlighted to Government over a long period of time. We trust that this new report will provide the necessary impetus to now develop a sustainable funding model for the SCP.” 

He continued, “Fórsa will continue to work with the Department to secure the transfer of all SCP staff to employment within the Education and Training Boards which will be an important step in securing a viable future for the SCP within the public service.” 

The School Completion Programme revisited report can be found here. 

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