Fairer policy is working: SVP sees 34% drop in Back-to-School requests, and calls for the same fairness to reach students heading to college

Fri 21st Aug

As families across Ireland prepare for the new school year, the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) is sharing some encouraging news, with a clear call to build on it.

Back-to-School has traditionally been one of the most stressful and costly times of the year for families, and one of the busiest for SVP. But since free schoolbooks were introduced, that pressure has eased: comparing 2022 with 2026, SVP has seen a 34% reduction in requests for Back-to-School support. SVP believes this positive shift is a direct result of the Free Schoolbooks Scheme, introduced by the Department of Education through Budget 2023 and rolled out to all primary and post-primary pupils in the years since.

"This is what happens when we get policy right," said Louise Bayliss, Head of Social Justice and Policy at SVP. "We advocated for free schoolbooks because we believed it would make a real difference, and now we can point to a 34% drop in Back-to-School calls as evidence that it has. This is a really positive step for equality in education and is a great government initiative."

Building on success: a call to make SUSI fairer for students who study away from home

Encouraged by this progress, SVP is now inviting the Government to take the next step and address a gap that leaves some students behind. As part of its Budget 2027 recommendations, SVP is calling for increased income thresholds for the SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) grant, and for higher, separate eligibility thresholds for non-adjacent students, meaning those who live more than 30km from their college and cannot reasonably commute each day. These students face significantly higher accommodation and travel costs, and SVP believes the system should reflect that reality from the outset.

With more than 60,000 Leaving Certificate students due to receive their results this Friday, 21st August, the timing matters.

"As students open their results this week, we're concerned that cost, not ability, may decide who gets to go to college," said Louise Bayliss. "SUSI offers valuable support to students who can live at home while they study, but the same income thresholds apply to those who have to move away. That means many young people, especially in rural areas, will not be  able to access college places."

She added: "The system does recognise that studying away from home costs more, with a higher payment, but does not recognise the impact of higher costs when deciding on who qualifies. That leaves a real gap for some families. A family with a gross income of €60,000 may find themselves absorbing net costs of around €12,000 a year in accommodation, travel and living expenses if their child cannot commute, yet receive no maintenance grant at all. Our members regularly work with families in rural areas who can’t afford to send children to college. "

Fairer policy creates real, measurable impact and ensuring SUSI supports rural students  will make a real difference for rural households.

Notes for Editors

The Free Schoolbooks Scheme was introduced by the Department of Education in 2023, funded through Budget 2023. It was delivered through a phased three-year rollout: beginning with approximately 558,000 pupils in recognised primary and special schools in 2023, extended to Junior Cycle students in Budget 2024, and then to all remaining post-primary students in Budget 2025. Free schoolbooks across state-funded schools were fully in place last year.

To learn more, please read SVP's 2027 Pre-Budget Submission, which sets out policies to advance equality in education and across society.