5.10 Other School Funds
Fund Raising
Schools may from time to time raise income from sources other than the School Fund.
The Board is responsible and accountable for all fund raising carried out under its auspices and appropriate control arrangements should be put in place. The Board should satisfy itself in relation to any activity which it authorises:
- that there are appropriate controls, financial, accounting and otherwise in place;
- that all legal obligations are fulfilled;
- that a separate bank account is opened and maintained for these activities;
- that approved signatories for such account are nominated by the Board and that appropriate records are maintained;
- that health and safety concerns attaching to each activity are considered and provided for.
The Board may consider it necessary to put in place the following process:
- employ a professional accountant to prepare annual audited records;
- table the audited accounts before the Board annually;
- ensure that such income and funds are kept separate from DES funds.
Any such books and accounts must be made available to the Audit Team from the DES and to officials from the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office if requested.
The Board should take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that fund raising by outside groups, such as Parents Associations or Past Pupils Unions, does not involve the Board, even in circumstances where the school may be the ultimate beneficiary of funds raised. Vigilance should be exercised to ensure that the Board or school is not identified as being the fund raiser in any such fund raising activity.
Where the school is the beneficiary, the Board should satisfy itself that the fund raising body is properly constituted and has adequate internal accountability arrangements.
The Board only becomes accountable for funds raised by these groups when the funds are paid over to the Board. Equipment donated to the school by outside bodies must be recorded in the Assets Register of the school.
(See Section 27 of the Administrative and Financial Guidelines)
Examination Fees
Full details of State Examination fees and the procedures for their payment can be found on the State Examinations Commission website at www.examinations.ie.
Candidates who enter for the examinations are provided with personalised forms which enable them to pay examination fees through any bank. The same form is also used to claim an exemption from fees.
Candidates who hold a medical card or are dependant on a parent or guardian who is the holder of a current medical card are not liable for examination fees.
Some schools may chose to collect examination fees from students on a phased basis. A school opting to provide this facility will be obliged to transmit these fees to the State Examinations Commission using the individual candidates personalised forms.
Book Grant / Rental Scheme for School Books for Necessitous Pupils
The school is required to operate the scheme in a way which ensures accountability and fairness. There must be evidence of a process which makes it possible for all deserving students to avail of assistance, and there must be documentary evidence that the money was actually spent for the purposes for which it was intended.
Schools have discretion, subject to the terms of the scheme, in the manner and amount of assistance given to individual needy students. The manner of the assistance could be in the form of:
direct provision of some or all textbooks;
through a school Book Rental Scheme;
cheque payment to the family of the needy student;
through the use of book vouchers.
The amount and form of assistance to individual students may be fixed at the discretion of the Principal having regard to the total and relative levels of need and available resources.
Boards should ensure that a separate Bank Account is maintained for the purpose and that the operation of the scheme will be subject to the normal internal controls and record keeping applicable to receipts and payments.
If cash, cheques or vouchers are being used, there should be a signed acknowledgement from the parent / guardian of the assistance received.
The invoices relating to any books or equipment bought for distribution to needy students should be retained, and students should be asked for signed acknowledgement of such books / equipment and their total value.
All records relating to the disbursement of grants received to provide books or equipment under the Book Grant Scheme should be retained for scrutiny by the auditors.
Schools should explore the option of operating a Book Rental Scheme as such schemes offer the most practical method of curtailing the cost of school books to parents/guardians. However, Book Rental Schemes do demand a significant input of administration time and issues such as security of stocks, etc., must be considered.
Where such a rental scheme is in existence, it must operate on a self-financing basis with all costs met by rental income. The DES may provide seed capital to assist the initial setting up of Book Rental Schemes in disadvantaged schools. In addition, rental charges for needy students may be subsidised from the Book Grant Scheme for Necessitous Pupils.
(Boards of Management are advised to consult the Administrative and Financial Guidelines of the DES, Sections 24 and 25.)