The functions and duties of a board of management are set out clearly in sections 14 to 21, inclusive, of the Education Act, 1998. Specifically, section 15(1) provides that:
It shall be the duty of a board to manage the school on behalf of the patron and for the benefit of the students and their parents and to provide or cause to be provided an appropriate education for each student at the school for which that Board has responsibility.
My Department also issues a document, Boards of Management of National Schools, Constitution of Boards and Rules of Procedure, to every board member and primary school authority at the beginning of each term of office of three years. This document, which is periodically revised by the Department in consultation with the partners, is intended to assist boards in carrying out their functions. I will arrange to have a copy of the document forwarded to the Deputy.