Schoolbooks and Core Stationary 2025-2026 for 1st - 6th Year Students
Collection August 2025 in St. Wolstan's Community School:
- Monday 18th August 6-8pm
- Tuesday 19th August 6-8pm
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Re: Post-Primary Schoolbooks Scheme for the 2025/26 School Year
For the 2025/26 school year all students in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme will receive free schoolbooks and core classroom resources. These will be in place in time for the start of the new school year.
This scheme is being implemented by Minister for Education Helen McEntee TD. It is in recognition of the cost of preparing young people for the return to school. The cost of providing schoolbooks and core classroom resources will now be borne by the State. The scheme will ensure equity of access, where all young people enrolled in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme can commence the new school year in 2025/26 with the same schoolbooks and classroom resources as other young people in their class.
“Schoolbooks” includes all relevant schoolbooks, including ebooks for all programmes at both Junior and Senior Cycle, including Transition Year. It covers workbooks in use in the school to support teaching and subject learning. It also includes necessary additional texts such as novels and plays for English, and where required, books of past examination papers for all subjects. Mock Fees are not covered under this scheme.
Funding for the scheme in 2025/26 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 students at the start of the 2025/26 school year.
Where parents/guardians of second and third year and sixth year students currently own their schoolbooks, or were provided with schoolbooks under the Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme in 2024/25, these are to be used. As such parents/guardians of students commencing second, third and sixth year may already have a significant amount of the schoolbooks and classroom resources required. Any additional schoolbooks and core classroom resources required by students in these years will now be covered under the scheme.
All schoolbooks and core classroom resources provided under the scheme will remain the property of St. Wolstan’s Community 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 school year and must be returned to school at the end of the programme cycle.
To promote the care and longevity of schoolbooks, and to support the continued sustainability of the Post Primary Book Scheme, under the terms of the scheme, the school will request a refundable deposit from parents/guardians. This deposit, capped at €50 per student per academic year or cycle, will be returned when all textbooks are returned in a reusable condition, in line with the school policy. Normal wear and tear will be taken into account; however, the full deposit may be withheld in cases of significant damage. Such damage includes, but is not limited to, missing pages, water damage, or any condition that renders the book unsuitable for future use.
Please remind your daughter(s) to take care of their schoolbooks and classroom resources and keep them in good condition during the period that they are in her/their possession. It is not permitted to write on schoolbooks. The school is under no obligation to replace an item that has been lost or damaged by a student. The parent/guardian is responsible for replacing such items without delay to maintain the momentum for student learning.
There may be some additional classroom resources that are not covered by the scheme.
Collection of books and resources at the school will be Monday 18th August 2025 6 - 8pm and Tuesday 19th August 6 - 8pm.
1st, 2nd and 5th Year parents/guardians receive a Way2Pay link for the €50 Refundable Deposit only. Payment Receipt issued by SMS from the school. Deposit returned at end of 3rd or 6th Year as applicable upon return of all schoolbooks in reusable condition issued under this scheme.