PETITION: GIVE US ACCESS TO THE BOOK RENTAL SCHEME

Complete our poll & submit our petition available at the bottom of this page…

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As you may be aware from Budget 2014, additional funding has been provided which will involve an investment of €15 million to support the establishment of book rental schemes in primary schools that do not currently operate them. As we have INITIATED our Book Rental Scheme – we do not qualify for funding.

We believe that this is totally unjust.

Powerstown ETNS is a new developing school. We opened in September 2011 with just 22 Junior Infant pupils. We currently have 95 pupils from Junior Infants to 5^th class.

• We are developing rapidly and will eventually be a 16 mainstream school. We need access to the Book Rental Scheme funding as we cannot afford it by ourselves.

• We have tried, since our establishment, to provide an educational setting to our pupils and school community that incorporates all the latest methodologies. A major focus of the school, through the School Self Evaluation Process and looking at the needs of our community was literacy. Therefore we invested heavily in a Guided Reading Scheme – through the purchase of SAILS and PM+ Readers, costing €10,000.

• We require another €15100 to ensure we have enough PM+ readers for all children and classes using Guided Reading.

• We require a minimum of €2,000 per year, for the next 5 years, to purchase a reading scheme for independent readers.

• As a developing school, our pupil intake continues to increase. Year after year, our student population is growing, making it necessary for us to purchase more and more books.

• Junior Infants – 2^nd class pupils write in their book. These books need to be replaced EVERY YEAR. This is a minimum of 30 sets of books per class per year at our current levels, and 60 sets of books per class when we become 2 stream. That is 240 irish book, 240 english books, 240 maths books, 240 SESE books, 240 music books that need to be purchased EACH year.

• As a developing school, our pupils are getting older. Every year, we have to purchase books for the next grade the children are progressing to. For example, we currently have no 6^th class this academic year– therefore we have no 6^th class text books or materials.

• Our multi-grade classes are becoming single grade classes, due to increase in pupil population. Instead of having 5 sets of each class book. We need 30 sets of each class book! This is 25 extra English books, 25 extra English dictionaries, 25 extra irish books, 25 extra irish dictionaries, 25 extra maths books, 25 extra maths tables books, 25 extra mental maths books, 25 extra SESE books just to mention a few.

• As a new developing school, our funding from the Department of Education is always a year behind. For example, our funding for 2013/2014 academic year, is based on our pupil numbers for 2012/2013. This makes it more and more difficult for us to adequately resource the school.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

We need adequate financial support for our school.

Please support our fight for funding for our Book Rental Scheme!

Sign our petition!

Get your family and friends to sign our petition!

Contact your local TD’s about Powerstown ETNS and ask them to help us fight for access to the book rental scheme. Our four local TDS are Joan Burton, Leo Varadkar, Joe Higgins and Patrick Nulty.

Contact the Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn.

Please return petitions to Powerstown ETNS as we will be forwarding ALL signed petitions from the school to the Minister for Education!

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