A survey of over 550 primary school leaders has revealed that 71% believe their SET Allocations for the 2025-26 academic year are inadequate to meet their school’s needs. For the second consecutive year, Complex Needs criteria were not considered in the allocation process, with an overwhelming 83% of respondents stating that this omission fails to reflect the true needs of their students.
A principal from Co. Louth expressed frustration, stating:
“The absence of the inclusion of complex needs has massively affected our allocation over the last two years.”
Principals Describe the Process as “Chaotic” and “Stressful”
When asked to describe the system in one word, principals responded with overwhelmingly negative terms, including stressful, chaotic, ridiculous, difficult, and frustrating.
Further compounding the issue, allocations were published without prior notice on 11th February, leaving schools scrambling to adjust. Schools are typically allocated hours rounded to the nearest fraction of a full-time teaching post, requiring them to find partner schools to form full-time positions.
This process—dubbed “The Cluster Games” by principals—forces school leaders to manually search a spreadsheet for nearby schools with complementary SET hours. As one principal described it:
“Principals are left scurrying to ‘save’ jobs in their schools, relying on speed and networking skills rather than a structured and fair system.”
The Pressure to Retain Teachers
On a scale of 1 to 10, principals rated the importance of not losing a teacher to the panel at 9.1. The impact of turnover was highlighted by a principal in Co. Mayo, who noted:
“It takes a long time for a teacher to build relationships with children, and then they are gone.”
Principals Call for Systemic Change
The survey found that 47% of school leaders would prefer the Department of Education to manage SET clustering, while 37% preferred the current system despite its challenges. One anonymous principal summed up the dilemma:
“While doing it ourselves is a nightmare, I don’t trust that the Department would have my school’s interest at heart. The only way to ensure fairness is to do it ourselves.”
The National Principals’ Forum (NPF) is advocating for a new approach where principals would directly input their students’ needs into the government’s Primary Online Database (POD), allowing allocations to be based on real-time data rather than outdated Standardised Test scores.
“The current model is fundamentally flawed. Basing allocations on Standardised Test scores is not only inappropriate—it’s insulting to children with complex needs. It effectively suggests that if a child has complex needs, they must be poor at literacy and numeracy,” said Angela Dunne from The National Principals’ Forum.
“We need to trust school leaders to identify the needs within their schools—and for the Department of Education to provide adequate resources accordingly.”
A Call for Urgent Action
The National Principals’ Forum urges the Department of Education to take these findings seriously and implement comprehensive reforms that:
✔️ Recognise the diverse needs of children requiring additional support
✔️ Ensure fair and adequate resource allocation
✔️ Respect the professional expertise and well-being of school leaders
Angela Dunne emphasised:
“The expectations placed on school leaders are now widely acknowledged as unsustainable. This annual scramble for resources is causing undue stress and must be addressed.”
In June 2024, the NPF outlined key reforms to the Dáil, focusing on leadership support, school funding, and special education. These proposals were accepted without amendment by then Minister for Education, Norma Foley. The group hopes to have a meeting with current Minister for Education, Helen McEntee, where they aim to address these pressing issues.