Ms Áine Lynch:

In our preparation for this submission we surveyed parents to establish the issues they had. In a three-week period from 22 February and 15 March we had 900 responses from parents on the issues. We focused the questions on the areas on which the committee has asked us for feedback. Some 60% of parents who responded said their schools had a schoolbook rental scheme available for all parents. Of those 60%, some 90% said they were utilising it. Where the schoolbook rental scheme exists in schools, parents see it as a major benefit. Some 40% said they did not have a schoolbook rental scheme available for all parents. As Mr. Finlay mentioned, workbooks was highlighted as a major issue.

It was the issue that many parents raised in the additional comments section. They referred to the cost of workbooks, the fact that they can only be used once and the under usage of them after they had been purchased. Often they are only half-filled at the end of the year. They were not even being fully utilised after purchase. I am not sure they are the Devil's invention but we would prefer that workbooks be taken out of the system.

We do not specifically ask for book rental schemes to be put on a mandatory basis because we believe every school should develop a strategy on making school books affordable for families. As the ways in which schools manage such strategies differ, making rental schemes mandatory may interfere with effective systems that are already in operation.

Approximately 90% of respondents reported that their schools operate school uniform policies, which indicates that school uniforms are issues for most parents. Of these 90% of parents, 64% had to purchase uniforms from specialist shops. We were disappointed by that in light of the amount of publicity we produce every year in our efforts to divert schools away from such policies. A number of parents noted that, in addition to the cost of school uniforms, they are also required to pay for no school uniform days, which they see as a contradiction in terms. In line with the document that the organisations jointly produced, we believe that schools should consult parents on the development of workable uniform policies and that such consultation should address all demographics in the school so that all parents' voices are heard.

Voluntary contributions are a further significant element of the cost of going back to school. Parents generally believe there is no voluntary aspect to voluntary contributions and if they do not pay them they sometimes receive letters written in red which are handed to their children. There is considerable pressure to pay these voluntary contributions. Some 65% of parents reported that they were not requested anonymously and 40% of those who were asked to pay contributions reported either that they found them difficult to pay or that they could not afford them. In respect of the 35% of parents who were not asked for a voluntary contribution, it would be interesting to find out what is happening in those schools. In regard to recommendations on voluntary contributions, we think a statement should be issued to the effect that they should not be requested. They are sometimes linked to enrolment in that parents are asked for a voluntary contribution as part of enrolling their children. Often they are told the money will be used for their first year's voluntary contribution, thereby setting the scene for it to become involuntary. Voluntary contributions should be banned and funding issues should be dealt with in the school community.

This gets to the heart of our views on back-to-school costs and the general cost of schooling. Parents are often seen as either funding the education system or expected to finance their children's ability to go to school. Parents' associations are used as fund-raising committees or else parents are asked to pay voluntary contributions or for the cost of books. The relationship is being placed within a financial framework and we believe it should be refocused on an educational framework. That cannot happen while all of these discussions are taking place, however. Research shows that when parents are engaged in learning, the children will do better. However, if communication between home and school starts with financial demands it is difficult for a struggling family to engage with the school around a child's learning. This affects not only families' abilities to carry financial burdens but also their ability to engage with their children's learning in school.

Parents were also given an opportunity to raise other issues. One issue was the fact that schools seek to raise money to cover other costs throughout the school year. A parent reported paying €61 for swimming lessons, €33 for school tours, €5 for a field trip in one month alone and was also expected to purchase tickets at Christmas for a draw, pay €10 admission to the school concert, buy Christmas cards at a cost of €8 per child and calendars at €6 each. There were two no-school uniform days at Hallowe'en, when parents were under pressure to purchase costumes, and on St. Patrick's Day, when parents had to buy something green. That is one of many responses we received on that subject. The other issue raised was the funding of curriculum areas within the school day. The pressure in this regard is more severe because the activities concerned take place during the school day. One parent reported that extra lessons, such as drama and swimming, cost approximately €150 per child per year and that children could not opt out because they were provided during school hours. These costs are piling up for parents throughout the year but they are not always revealed in our surveys because they are not loaded onto the beginning of the year.