Schoolbooks for students in Post-Primary Schools 2025/26
Letter from the Minister to parents of students in post primary Schools
4th March 2025
Dear Parent/Guardian,
It gives me great pleasure to inform you that Government has approved the extension of the
Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme to all students in post-primary schools. The Post-primary
Schoolbooks Scheme now includes all students in Senior Cycle years, including Transition
Year, in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme from September 2025.
Funding is being made available from the Department of Education to every school to enable
this to happen.
• Schoolbooks and core classroom resources will be provided to all children and young
people enrolled in Junior and Senior Cycle years, including Transition Year students, in
post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme.
• This means that the cost of schoolbooks and core classroom resources will be
eliminated for their families and will ease the financial burden facing families at back-toschool time.
Through this measure, we are enhancing equity of access, where all children and young
people enrolled in Junior and Senior Cycle years in post-primary schools in the Free
Education Scheme can commence the new school year in 2025/26 with the same
schoolbooks as other children and young people in their class.
It is important to note that schools have been advised to provide all schoolbooks and core
classroom resources from the funding available. Parents/guardians may now only be asked,
by schools, to provide some additional classroom resources or to pay a fee towards the cost
of these items. Schools will communicate with you in relation to the scheme.
My department has published an information leaflet for parents/guardians on how the new
scheme will operate. The scheme guidance and parents’ leaflet are published at
www.gov.ie/schoolbookschemes
By implementing measures like the Schoolbooks Scheme my department will continue our
work to tackle all forms of disadvantage in education and promote inclusivity.Should you
have any query in relation to this new scheme please email:
postprimaryschoolbooks@education.gov.ie
Helen McEntee TD
Minister for Education
Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme for the 2024/2025 School Year
For the 2024/2025 school year all students in Junior Cycle years in the free education system will receive free schoolbooks and certain other resources. These will be in place in September 2024 for your son/daughter. The Government have advised that this is in place for 2024/2025 only and cannot be guaranteed beyond this.
This new scheme is being introduced by Minister for Education, Norma Foley, T.D. It is in recognition of the cost of preparing children and young people for the return to school. The new scheme eliminates the cost to parents/guardians of providing schoolbooks and core classroom resources. The scheme will ensure equity of access, where all children and young people enrolled in Junior Cycle years in Post-Primary schools in the Free Education Scheme can commence the new school year in 2024/2025 with the same schoolbooks and classroom resources as other children and young people in their class.
“Schoolbooks” includes all relevant schoolbooks at Junior Cycle level. It also covers workbooks in use in the school to support teaching and subject learning at Junior Cycle. It also includes necessary additional texts such as novels and plays for English or books of past Junior Cycle examination papers for all subjects.
Funding for the scheme in 2024/2025 is being provided directly to Post Primary schools by the Department of Education. Schools now have responsibility for providing schoolbooks and core classroom resources to all Junior Cycle students at the start of the forthcoming school year.
Students commencing 2nd and 3rd Year already have a significant amount of the schoolbooks and classroom resources required for Junior Cycle. Any additional schoolbooks and core classroom resources required by students in 2nd and 3rd Year will now be covered under the new scheme.
All schoolbooks and core classroom resources provided under the new scheme will remain the property of the school, so that they can be reused in future years (where applicable).
Schoolbooks will be provided on loan to students for the duration of the 2024/2025 school year and must be returned to school at the of the 3 years of Junior Cycle. Please remind your son/daughter to take care of their schoolbooks and classroom resources and keep them in good condition during the period that they are in their possession. It is not permitted to write on schoolbooks.
There may be some additional classroom resources that are not covered by the scheme.