AQW 33708/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 16/10/2025
Answered On Date: 31/10/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail whether his Department monitors what post-primary schools, set as their voluntary contribution.

Answer:

Under current legislation, voluntary contributions are a matter for Boards of Governors. For this reason, neither the Education Authority nor my Department monitors what schools set as their voluntary contributions recommended to parents.

On 2 September 2025 my Department issued Circular 2025-10 Charges in grant aided schools to schools. This replaced circular 1991/21 and is consistent with the relevant legislation. The circular draws attention to Chapter 18 of the Governors Guide which sets out the schools’ legal responsibilities with regards school fees, charges, remissions and voluntary contributions.

While current legislation permits Boards of Governors to seek voluntary contributions from parents / guardians, any request must make it clear that: there is no obligation to contribute; and registered pupils at the school will not be treated differently according to whether or not their parents/guardians have made a contribution.