Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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482. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the specific measures her Department has implemented to address the funding shortfalls some schools are facing under the free book schemes; if additional supports are being considered to ensure the schools facing shortfalls have adequate resources; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45126/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As part of Budget 2023 over €50 million was allocated to provide free schoolbooks to all pupils in recognised primary schools, including special schools. More than 563,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 primary schools, including over 130 special schools benefited from the new scheme from September 2023.

Subsequently, on 5th of March this year, I announced details of a new scheme that provides free schoolbooks to Junior Cycle students in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. Special schools who have students enrolled in Junior Cycle programmes will also receive this funding. More than 214,000 students enrolled in approximately 670 post-primary schools and over 65 special schools, are benefiting from the new scheme in the current school year.

The investment of €68 million in 2024 significantly increased the funding that was previously provided for schoolbooks at post-primary level. It reinforces the Government’s commitment to expand the free schoolbooks scheme to schools nationwide, as resources allow. In Budget 2025, I announced a further €51 million to extend the scheme to provide schoolbooks to all students in Senior Cycle years, including Transition Year, in recognised post-primary schools from September 2025.

Providing our children and young people with schoolbooks will help to enhance their educational experience, not just in the classroom but at home and as they prepare for life after school. This scheme will help to ensure that no pupil or student will be disadvantaged by a lack of ability to access essential learning resources and help to ease some of the financial burden facing families.

In Budget 2024 over €47 million was allocated to continue implementation of the schoolbooks scheme at primary level for its second year. On the 8th May I 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. More than 563,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 primary schools, including over 130 special schools will continue to benefit from this scheme.

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.

For the current school year, primary 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 set out under the new Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme. For the 2024/25 school year post-primary schools have received a rate of €309 per student enrolled in Junior Cycle years.

Scheme guidance for both schemes for the 2024/25 school year is published on my Department’s website at www.gov.ie/schoolbookschemes and was issued to schools.

As outlined in the guidance, the schoolbook grant for 2024/2025 is calculated based on validated September 2023 enrolment figures. If a school has a concern about funding for additional pupils who have enrolled in the school since this time, there is an exceptional cases funding provision under the scheme. This provision is where a school can request additional funding when a significant increase in enrolments had occurred and the school cannot meet the costs of the books from within the original funding allocation.

As part of the on-going evaluation of the schemes, all schools will be asked to provide data on their expenditure in order to inform the guidance, implementation, costs and efficiency of the scheme for future years. It is very important that schools engage with this process and provide financial data and feedback to my department which will support the sustainability of the scheme costs.