Press release
Ministers Foley and Naughton launch second year of scheme providing free schoolbooks to over 555,000 primary school children
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Published on
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Minister for Education Norma Foley TD, and Minister for Special Education and Inclusion Hildegarde Naughton TD, have today launched the second year of the scheme which will see free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks provided to pupils in primary and special schools.
Over 555,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 primary schools and special schools will benefit as the new school year commences over the coming days.
Today’s launch follows the successful roll-out of the first year of the scheme at primary level in September 2023. Many of the items purchased by schools last year are now available to reuse in 2024/25 and future school years.
Schools have also separately been provided with an Administration Support Grant to assist with the continued implementation of the scheme and to relieve any additional administrative burden.
Minister Foley said:
“As Minister for Education, it is a core priority of mine to introduce and advance measures which help ensure equality of access to education. Following the successful implementation of the schoolbooks scheme in primary schools last year, I am delighted to see the huge amount of work that has gone on in our schools over the past year or more to make sure that every child gets the schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks they need. I want to thank all of our school leaders and all other school staff who have worked tirelessly to make this happen for another year.
“This scheme is a hugely positive measure for families as it eases some of the financial burden facing them with back-to-school costs. Many parents and guardians of children in primary schools in the Free Education Scheme will now experience the benefits of this scheme for the second year in a row and are not being asked to buy or rent any schoolbooks for the 2024/25 school year.
“By providing our children and young people with free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks, we are enhancing their educational experience, not just in the classroom but also reaching out into the family home.”
Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion and Government Chief Whip, Hildegarde Naughton TD, said:
“The delivery of this Programme for Government commitment continues to make a real difference in reducing the back-to-school costs for parents and guardians of children and young people with special educational needs attending special schools and special classes in primary schools.
“Schools have the flexibility to use funding to purchase classroom resources to meet the specific learning needs of pupils once the cost of schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks are met. This is particularly important for pupils with special educational needs.”
Guidance for schools, as well as information for parents and guardians, regarding the new scheme, has been published by the Department of Education and can be accessed here: www.gov.ie/schoolbookschemes
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to commence a free schoolbooks scheme pilot in September 2020 and, pending a successful review of the pilot, expand the scheme to schools nationwide, as resources allow. It also noted to emphasise the rental and reuse of books to schools and discourage the use of workbooks. (PFG, 2020, pg. 96). A successful pilot scheme was introduced in 102 DEIS primary schools for the 2020/21 school year. It ran throughout the 2021/22 and 2022/23 school years also.
As part of Budget 2023, over €50 million was allocated to provide free schoolbooks to primary school children and young people within the free education scheme from the start of the 2023/24 school year. The Minister for Education announced the free primary schoolbooks scheme on Wednesday 22 March 2023. The scheme is a permanent measure providing, at a minimum, schoolbooks, workbooks and copies to all children and young people enrolled in recognised primary and special schools.
In Budget 2024 over €47 million was allocated to continue implementation of the schoolbooks scheme at primary level. On 8 May 2024, the Minister announced details of year 2 of the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme which provides at a minimum free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks to pupils in recognised primary and special schools. Over 555,000 children and young people, in 3,230 primary and special schools will benefit from this scheme in the 2024/25 school year.
Revised guidance for the 2024/25 school year was published on the Department of Education’s website at www.gov.ie/schoolbookschemes and issued to schools in May.
As the scheme is now implemented in every recognised primary and special school it is expected that schools have used the funding provided in the 2023/24 school year to purchase stocks of schoolbooks and other classroom resources. Many of these items are now available to schools for reuse in the 2024/25 school year and in future school years. The funding allocated to the scheme in the 2024/25 school year takes account of this.
Schools have received €80 per pupil enrolled as of September 2023. It is open to schools to look at their requirements and plan their budget across each of the years collectively. They may choose to spend more than €80 per pupil in one class and in turn, spend less than that per pupil in another class. In other words, while schools receive the money at the same per capita rate for all pupils they can choose to spread that expenditure differently across the years depending on the requirements.
Special schools that have students enrolled in Junior Cycle programmes have received funding at the Junior Cycle per capita rate of €309 per student as set out under the new Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme.
To support the administration of this scheme, the Department has again, allocated an Administration Support Grant to primary schools for the 2024/25 school year, based on the size of the school, to assist with any additional work required in order to implement the scheme. Schools may use this grant to employ an individual to carry out administrative work on the scheme or use the money towards other administrative costs associated with implementing the scheme.
The scheme has been established on the basis that funds are provided directly to schools to purchase schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks.
Schools have been permitted discretion in how the schoolbook grant funding is used, on the basis that it eliminates the overall cost of schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for families. Therefore, parents must not be asked to purchase schoolbooks, workbooks or copybooks, or to make a contribution to the school towards the cost of these items.
The scheme will seek to ensure that value for money is achieved, and that schools will be supported to implement the scheme in a way that has the best learning outcomes for students. Schools will continue to have autonomy to choose books that meet curricular requirements.
Schoolbooks will remain the property of the school and schools will ensure that, as far as possible, all schoolbooks are returned at the end of the school year for re-use the following year.
A guidance document has been developed for primary schools on how the scheme will operate. The guidance is published at www.gov.ie/schoolbookschemes
The Schools Procurement Unit produced guidance in 2017 for schools on good procurement practices. A suite of additional supports and updated guidance was produced in 2024 and is published on the Schools Procurement Unit website.
Schools have obligations that stem from both EU and national public procurement rules, when sourcing goods and services. Schools have access to the Public Procurement Guidelines for Goods and Services published by the Office of Government Procurement.