Book Grants 2022

Webinar

Introduction

Once-off funding of €20 million is being made available in the coming weeks to enable all recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme to purchase books, audio books and other media for the purposes of improving their existing literacy resource banks.

The funding being provided must be used exclusively to improve schools' existing literacy resource banks. It is not intended for the purchase of textbooks and should not be used to supplement the Book Grant funding currently provided annually to all recognised primary and post-primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in order to alleviate the cost of school books for parents. The funding provision will be supported by public libraries under the Public Library Supports for Schools, in order to assist schools in planning expenditure of their grant funding.

Grant amount

The grant to schools will be paid in line with recognised pupil enrolment on 30 September 2021. The grant paid to primary schools with an enrolment of equal to or less than 60 pupils is based on a minimum enrolment of 60 pupils. The grant rate will be €21.00 per pupil/student for all recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. Schools are not required to apply for this grant funding, the grants will be paid directly to schools.

School context and planning

Every school is unique, as is their stock of books, audio books and other media available within each school. Schools need to consider their own specific situation and the students/pupils within the school when planning the expenditure of the grants monies received.

Schools need to consider the following;

• assess the existing collections within the school in order to identify any gaps
• what supports can be accessed to help, and who is responsible for these?
• consideration of services already available to schools from the Public Library Service to support the school in achieving its vision in relation to enhance the collection such as class loans and teachers' library cards
• stock selection: identification of books, audio books and other media to address needs and fill any gaps
• enhancing/setting up the school's library space; this can be in a dedicated space within the school or within the classroom
• public procurement obligations
• monitoring and review of the collection
• support measures for schools to purchase books, audio books and other material support is being provided so as to ensure that schools can make best use of the grant funding in order to increase the literacy resources within their schools. In this regard, the Department is working with the Public Library Service. The Public Library Supports for Schools are jointly agreed by the Department of Education and the Department of Rural and Community Development. Public libraries will provide additional measures and resources in a two-step approach in order to support the roll-out of the grants for the purchase of books, audio books and other material.

Step one

National webinars which will be open to representatives from all primary and post-primary schools to attend. Webinars will be recorded and made available for online viewing afterwards.

The first webinar available in the 2021/2022 school year covers:

• assessing the library collection
• the practical process of selecting a meaningful book collection for each school
• reading lists and resources developed by libraries and Children's Books Ireland
• library services supporting schools, emphasising the benefits of class visits, the range of services available, including classroom sets, teachers' resources, online resources etc.

The webinars ran on two consecutive days: 23-24 May 2022.

A second set of webinars will take place early in the 2022/2023 school year, focussing on maximising the new collection and again linking into library services and the much broader range of resources libraries can offer to support:

• Reader development/engagement
• Setting up a library including shelving and display, lending management

Step two

Each library service will communicate with the schools within its local authority area, outlining the levels of supports that the individual library service can provide locally to the schools within the local authority catchment, based on local resources.

Tender procedures and record keeping

All purchases must be in compliance with public procurement procedures, which ensures best value for money. Written quotes should be sought and a full record of the procurement retained for future reference and examination in accordance with public procurement rules.

Support is available for schools from the Schools Procurement Unit (SPU) through their website www.spu.ie or by email [email protected] .

A helpful SPU guide, Guidance for Schools on Good Procurement Practices is available on the SPU website. The Office of Government Procurement also provides support and information at www.ogp.gov.ie .

The board of management must establish a set of procedures governing purchasing and should set out the arrangements for tendering and buying of goods, payment of invoices and maintenance of accounting records. These rules are clearly set out in the Guidance for Schools on Good Procurement Practices, available to download from this link .

Grant funding, management and compliance

Grants for the purchase of books, audio books and other material will be paid directly to schools. Schools are not required to apply for this funding. As with allexchequer grant-aid, school authorities must be able to provide detailed records on how funding, provided under this scheme, was spent. All expenditure in connection with the scheme must be vouched and schools must be able to prove that expenditure was used on the purchase of materials allowed under the scheme.

Invoices and receipts must be retained in the event of an audit inspection by the Department and/or the Comptroller and Auditor General. It is necessary for schools to keep details of quotations received, invoices, receipts and any other relevant records in respect of all expenditure for a period of seven years. Schools, on request, must provide the Department with a written statement of the expenditure of the grant and any remaining balances and other relevant information. If a school closes permanently, any balance held in the account must be surrendered to the Department on the date that the school ceases operation. The Department reserves the right to recoup funding issued from other grant funding the school receives for non-compliance with any of the terms of this Scheme.

Schools must ensure compliance with the below Circular 13/2014, Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer Funds.

0013/2014

Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU): non-ETB sectors

All recognised Primary, Voluntary Secondary, Community and Comprehensive schools are required to submit accounts to the Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU) annually. This satisfies the requirement under Section 18 of the Education Act 1998 for schools to make available their accounts for inspection by the Minister.

Schools may be subject to audit by the FSSU as part of its ongoing programme of work in supporting schools on financial governance matters and enabling them to comply with the provisions of the Education Act 1998 in terms of accountability, transparency and financial responsibility for State funds.

ETB schools

The Annual Financial Statements of the ETBs are audited by the C&AG and are laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas, while the Internal Audit Unit for the ETB sector provides assurance to the Audit Committee of the ETBs that the system of internal control as implemented by executive management is adequate and operates effectively.

Press release

The Minister for Education Norma Foley on 17 April announced that €20 million will be provided to recognised primary and post-primary schools for the purchase of books, audio books and other media for the purposes of improving their existing literacy resource banks.

This €20 million fund will be paid to schools in the coming weeks and is additional to that already given for the school books rental scheme.

Minister Foley said:

"A love of reading is one the greatest gifts we can give a child. It is of utmost importance that we provide access to the highest quality books in all our schools. They enable our students to go on magical journeys, experience new ideas and open their minds to infinite possibilities. In doing so reading assists in the development of language and literacy skills. It is said that books are uniquely portable magic and I firmly believe that reading opens up a world of imagination and endless possibilities; taking the reader to places they have never been, provoking curiosity, wonder and discussion.

"As a teacher, I know well the value to our students of reading widely, and I have been determined that we invest in our school literacy resources. With this initiative we can ensure that schools and our students have access to the highest quality books and materials to support their literacy.

"Considerable progress has been made in promoting a high level of literacy since the 2011 Literacy and Numeracy Strategy and Interim Review 2017. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 results showed that the reading skills of primary school children in Ireland, both in the paper based and online assessment are among the best in all European and OECD countries. It is important to build on this good work and ensure that these high standards are maintained.

"Schools will receive excellent and expert support from Public Library Supports for Schools, to help spend their grant funding to meet needs of their students. I look forward to seeing our students in reading nooks and libraries all over Ireland, enjoying a great read."

The grant is to be paid to schools based on pupil numbers at the same rate for all schools, primary and post-primary. The department will also send a guidance note to all schools, with support from the libraries service, on how schools can best use the funding received.

Public libraries already provide a range of supports for school under the Public Library Supports for Schools jointly agreed by the Department of Education and the Department of Rural and Community Development. Public libraries will support the roll-out of the School Library Book Grant through the provision of additional measures and resources, in two steps.

Step one will consist of webinars open to representatives of primary and post-primary schools.

The initial webinars will be held in May and will focus on the practical process of selecting a meaningful book collection for each school, including reading lists developed by libraries and Children's Books Ireland and a section on library services supporting schools, emphasising the benefits of class visits, the range of services available, including classroom sets, teachers resources and online resources.

A second set of webinars will take place at the start of the next school year, focusing on maximising the new collection, again linking into library services and the much broader range of resources libraries can offer to support.

In step two, each library service will communicate with the schools within its area, outlining the levels of supports that the individual library service can provide locally, based on local resources. This will begin in the coming school year.

Colette Byrne, Kilkenny County Council Chief Executive and Chair of the LGMA Libraries Development Committee said:

"The grant funding from the Department of Education will provide access to more and better reading opportunities for children and young adults, across all school-going ages and reading abilities.

"Public libraries have a long tradition of providing a wide range of resources, activities and expertise which strongly support primary and post primary schools in developing children's literacy, numeracy, creativity and communication skills. In order to ensure that this grant funding delivers the best possible reading and personal development outcomes for the students, the public library service is now making additional, specifically tailored support measures and resources available to schools."

Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children's Books Ireland said:

"Children's Books Ireland is ready to support schools as they build up their libraries with books that are contemporary, engaging and representative of their students. Working closely with public libraries, we hope that our downloadable purchasing lists, webinars and resource packs will ensure that all schools are well informed and get the best books for their students with this grant."

Additional notes

Funding of €20 million is being made available in 2022 to enable all recognised schools (primary and post-primary) to purchase books, audio books and other media for the purposes of improving their existing literacy resource banks.

This funding is additional to that already given for the school books rental scheme and book grants to all recognised primary and post-primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in order to alleviate the cost of school books for parents.

Literacy, numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy

The Department of Education is committed to raising standards in literacy and numeracy in early years, primary and post primary settings. In 2011 the department published Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life: The National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020. The Interim review of the strategy was published in 2017, with updated and new targets for literacy and numeracy, identifying the priority areas such as numeracy and DEIS.

Work has commenced on the development of a follow-on Literacy and Numeracy strategy. The strategy will be informed by robust research to include consideration of national and international practice, by stakeholder engagement and public consultation. It is intended that the new strategy would be published by the end of 2022.

Library support measures for School Book Grant

Public libraries provide a range of supports for school under the Public Library Supports for Schools jointly agreed by the Department of Education and the Department of Rural and Community Development.

Children's Books Ireland

Children's Books Ireland is a national charity and arts organisation that champions every child's right to develop a love of reading. Further information can be found on https://childrensbooksireland.ie/