SCOIL BHRÍDE LANN LÉIRE
SCHOOL FEES POLICY
In line with Circular 0032/2017 we run a book rental scheme which operates in order to provide parents & guardians with significant savings over the time their child will be enrolled with us and to ensure that all pupils will have all their books, and the same edition of each book, at the beginning of the school year.
An additional charge is necessary in order to pay for resources and equipment and pupil insurance which help us to provide our pupils with a high standard of education and ensure they are covered in the event of an accident/emergency. Details are outlined below.
The book rental charge and the additional cost are combined into one amount which we have named SCHOOL FEES. This is non-profit making and changes from year to year depending on: the cost of books; whether new books need to be purchased; whether old books need to be replaced; the number of children in each class; the cost of materials and equipment; the cost of pupil insurance.
In the interest of fairness to all pupils and families, to keep the fees down and to ensure the school does not operate at a loss, all parents & guardians must co-operate with this policy. Separate arrangements are not possible as calculations are based on all children and aimed at ensuring that the school is self-financing.
There will some reduction in fees for families with more than three pupils in the school.
School fees cover for the following:
- Textbooks
- Supplementary workbooks
- Book covering
- Teacher manuals and resources (e.g. supplementary materials, DVDs & CDs)
- Anti-virus software for laptops and computers
- Digital media and licences (e.g. interactive resources such as songs, poetry, stories, workbooks and worksheets)
- Art & crafts materials
- Stationery – paper, envelopes, labels, folders, classroom supplies.
- Equipment and resources to teach subjects (e.g. for maths & science)
- Purchase of extra reading materials
- Photocopying
- Texts
- Printing (ink cartridges)
- Laminating
- School Insurance (unlike private health insurance, all accidents including those involving dental injuries are covered and there is no excess to pay). It is vital that every child is insured in the event of any accidents or injuries that may occur in school or when involved in school based activities and events.
Purchase of new workbooks, disposable materials, copies, notebooks and homework journals are not included in this scheme and remain the responsibility of the parents and guardians. In the case of the infant classes, the children write in most books so these need to be bought new by parents as they cannot be used again.
The entire amount of the book rental and school fees must be paid on or before JUNE 11th as the school will be purchasing the necessary books and equipment before closing for the holidays and will need to meet the cost of bills.
Payments can be made in cash, by cheque or online. We can also accept payment in regular instalments until fees are met in full. If parents/guardians wish to do this they must contact the school and agree to a payment schedule before May 25th every year.
The Board of Management will be notified of any non-payments and outstanding payments. The principal has the approval of the Board of Management to act on its behalf and to contact parents and guardians by phone, letter or email to remind them of their obligation to meet all payments and to arrange meetings if necessary.
Any outstanding payments will be added to the following year’s fees.
All books supplied under the scheme will remain the property of the school and may be subject to inspection at any time by a member of the teaching staff.
Books may consist of both new and second hand books.
Pupils should retain books for one year at the end of which the books are returned to the school.
Pupils should be expected to keep the books in good condition and parents should be requested to replace or cover the cost of damaged and/or misplaced books.
An annual review of the scheme is organised and will include:
- Reviewing how effectively the scheme has operated during the school year.
- Identifying possible improvements to the operation of the scheme.
- Examining school policy on minimising the use of textbooks and workbooks.
- Calculating the fees for the following school year.
Signed: Fr. Murtagh, Chairperson Signed: Ms. Moran, Principal