School Year 2025/2026
Resources:
Financial Guideline 07 – 2025/2026
New Free Schoolbooks Grant and Administration Support Grant:
- For pupils enrolled in junior cycle years in the 2025/2026 school year: €309 per pupil.
- For pupils enrolled in senior cycle years in the 2025/2026 school year: €142 per pupil.
- For pupils enrolled in senior cycle (5th & 6th year, including LCA 1&2) in the 2025/2026 school year: €295 per pupil.
An administration support grant will be provided. The Administration Support Grant is made up of two parts (core administration days and supplementary support days).
The core administration days may be used to employ a person to work for a specified number of days in advance of, or during, the 2025/26 school year to carry out administrative work on the scheme. The daily rate sanctioned by the Department for this work is €167.54, which includes holiday pay. The Department will provide an additional 11.15% (April 2024) to cover the employer PRSI cost.
The supplementary support days may be used to employ students/other individuals to help the school with the implementation of the scheme. Students/other individuals will be paid the current minimum wage appropriate to their age. Schools will be allocated funding of €13.50 per hour. For the purposes of the supplementary support days grant calculation, a day is taken to mean 7 hours.
Guidance on the scheme can be found here.
Resources
- Financial Guideline 32 – 2024/2025
- Financial Guideline 03 – 2024/2025
- Financial Guideline 24 – 2023/2024
- Info on Schoolbooks Scheme for Junior Cycle
Procurement Guidance
The Schools Procurement Unit (SPU) is the central support resource for providing guidance to schools on any procurement-related issue.