IPPN

Published: 25 June 2009

In the context of the Budget in October 2008 the Minister for Education and Science indicated that it was his intention to streamline and rationalise the different grant schemes that provide funding to primary schools. The Minister made this statement having regard to representations and suggestions made to his Department that the grant system should be simplified for ease of administration and that school management should have greater autonomy over the funding provided.

The purpose of this letter is to clarify that capitation funding provided this year for general running costs and funding provided for caretaking and secretarial services may be regarded as a common grant from which the Board of Management can allocate according to its own priorities. In due course both grant schemes will be merged. In the interim both grants will continue to be paid according to existing timelines and calculated separately as heretofore.

As you will be aware, a decision was made in the October 2008 budget that funding for school books would be targeted at schools within the DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) scheme. Approximately €7 million is being made available for this purpose this year. This will be provided to DEIS schools in the form of enhanced capitation payments rather than a continuation of the previous annual application process. It is intended to issue this additional funding to DEIS schools shortly.

Schools that are not in receipt of DEIS funding can utilise capitation or caretaker/secretarial funding to support book rental schemes or to otherwise help provide books for individual pupils where this is considered by a Board to be a priority for the school.

Martin Hanevy

Assistant Secretary

June 2009