Shay Brennan (Dublin Rathdown, Fianna Fail)

As the Taoiseach is aware, the free primary schoolbooks scheme has been a welcome support for families and schools across the country. However, schools experiencing significant increases in enrolment often find the current per capita funding model based on the previous year’s enrolment figures does not fully meet their needs, particularly when new pupils join after the funding has been allocated. On top of this, schools now need to purchase a new maths book to reflect the changes in the primary maths curriculum this September, which places further pressure on already stretched book grants. Given these challenges, will the Government consider introducing a more responsive funding mechanism or a supplementary fund to ensure schools with rising enrolments are adequately resourced to provide free books and materials to all pupils throughout the year?

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