Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Earlier this year I announced the establishment of Ireland’s first national primary school book scheme. More than 558,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 primary schools, including over 130 special schools, will benefit from this new measure. It delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to extend the free school book pilot, which ran in over 100 DEIS primary schools over the last 3 years, as resources permit.

At a minimum the scheme will provide free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for all children and young people in recognised primary schools and special schools from September 2023 and will eliminate the cost of school schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for parents of children and young people enrolled in these schools.

My Department engaged with all relevant stakeholders as to how the scheme will operate. These included: primary school management bodies, unions, the National Parents Council Primary, representatives of booksellers and schoolbook publishers, IBEC, Retail Ireland, the Small Firms Association, Barnardos and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. My Department also engaged with a number of schools, including some of the primary schools participating in the DEIS pilot free book scheme, to learn of their first-hand experience of operating a book rental scheme.

Detailed guidance for primary schools on the scheme was published and issued to all recognised primary schools and special schools in March 2023.

The primary school book grant funding for the 2023/24 academic year was paid directly to to all recognised primary and special schools on the 26th April 2023 in order implement the scheme in time for the start of the 2023/24 school year.

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 pupils. It is important to note that schools will continue to have autonomy to choose and purchase books that meet curricular requirements.