Junior Cycle Free Schoolbooks Scheme for the 2024/25 school year

22-May-24

Dear Parents/Guardians,

For the 2024/25 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.

This new scheme is being introduced by Minister for Education Norma Foley TD. 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 2024/25 with the same schoolbooks and classroom resources as other children and young people in their class.

“Schoolbooks” includes all relevant schoolbooks, including ebooks 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 2024/25 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 forthcoming school year. Where parents/guardians of second and third year students currently own their schoolbooks these can be used.

Parents/Guardians of students commencing second and third year will have already purchased a significant amount of the schoolbooks and classroom resources required for Junior Cycle. Any additional schoolbooks and core classroom resources required by students in second and third 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).

Please note that it does not cover the cost of iPads, student insurance and other specific students costs.

In Ballymakenny College, novels and plays will be provided on loan to students during the 2024/25 school year and must be returned to school at the end of the school year/at the end of the 3 years of Junior Cycle.

Please remind your children to take care of their schoolbooks (Novels and plays) 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 novels and plays.

There may be some additional classroom resources that are not covered by the scheme.

1st Year Students:

In relation to incoming 1st year students, the following will be prepared for collection from the school on June 17th when students are attending their iPad setup day:

10 x A4 hard backs

1 x A4 squared copy

1 x A4 science copy

1 x Casio black calculator

I x Geometry set

1 x Ruler

1 x A4 plastic wallet

20 x Individual Labels for student's name and subject

Parents will be required to sign for the items listed above upon collection.

In relation to books, the following will be provided when students start in school in August:

School journal

All eBooks required for subjects. Access codes will be provided to publisher accounts to access on their iPads.

All workbooks required for subjects. Workbooks or materials required for optional subjects will be provided in November after the option taster modules.

Novels/plays will be provided to students as required, to be returned to the relevant subject teacher before the end of the year.

2nd Year Students:

In relation to incoming 2nd year students, the following will be prepared for students when they start school in August:

10 x A4 hard backs

1 x A4 squared copy

1 x A4 science copy

I x Geometry set

1 x Ruler

1 x A4 plastic wallet

20 x Individual Labels for student's name and subject

Students will be required to sign for the items listed above when received.

In relation to books, the following will be provided when students start in school in August:

School journal

Any new eBooks required for subjects.

Any new workbooks required for subjects.

Novels/plays will be provided to students as required, to be returned to the school office at the end of 3rd year. They will be scanned out to individual students based on curricular requirements.

3rd Year Students:

In relation to incoming 3rd year students, the following will be prepared for students when they start school in August:

10 x A4 hard backs

1 x A4 squared copy

1 x A4 science copy

I x Geometry set

1 x Ruler

1 x A4 plastic wallet

20 x Individual Labels for student's name and subject

Students will be required to sign for the items listed above when received.

In relation to books, the following will be provided when students start in school in August:

School journal

Any new eBooks required for subjects.

Any new workbooks required for subjects.

Novels/plays will be provided to students as required, to be returned to the school office at the end of 3rd year. They will be scanned out to individual students based on curricular requirements.

Books of past examination papers as required for all subjects will be provided to students during term one of the 2024/25 school year.

Yours Sincerely

Alan Mynes

Principal

Events
Feb
17 2025
February Mid Term
Mar
10 2025
Parent Teacher Meeting - 1st Year
Mar
17 2025
School Closed
Mar
18 2025
School Closed
Apr
14 2025
Easter Holidays
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Contact
Ballymakenny College,
Ballymakenny Rd
Drogheda
Co. Louth
Ireland

041 9802459

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