Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Could the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs support strongly the school completion programme in the Donaghmede, Ayrfield and Edenmore areas of north Dublin because it is excellent? Those concerned need our full support to deal with the issue of early school learning.

The Minister will be aware that the school completion programme is a targeted initiative that aims to retain in school those most at risk of early school leaving. The programme was introduced in 2002 as a follow-up to the SSRI programme at senior cycle level. Initially, the programme was partially funded by the European Social Fund and also the Department of Education and Science. Later, the programme was funded through the Department of Finance with the Department of Education and Skills.

The programme was introduced in the Donaghmede-Ayrfield-Edenmore area in November 2002 and is now an integral part of the work of the schools in the area. It is aimed at the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in those schools. Nationwide, it caters for between 35,0000 and 53,000 children. As the Minister knows, the programme provides excellent services to children at risk. It provides funding for the breakfast clubs and school curriculum supports, including drama, music, yoga, trips, attendance awards and attendance tracking and monitoring. It also supports excellent after-school curricular supports, including homework clubs, study support and games and activities, including boxing, football and gymnastics. It also supports out-of-school supports and summer camps.

Since 2008, the national budget for the programme has been cut from €32.9 million to €24.7 million. This is a massive cut of 33%. There are eight schools in the cluster that I mentioned. They have had to tolerate a cut and survive on €47,000. In light of the amount of funding allocated nationally, this is a small sum. The schools, comprising two secondary schools and six primary schools, are doing an excellent job and have targeted 1,800 children. The good news from the assessment of the programme is that it has increased school attendance. In many cases, the attendance rate has increased to 95%. This is amazing among children who come from economically and socially disadvantaged families. Many of the families are homeless and some are living in temporary accommodation, including hotel bedrooms.

It is important that there be no further cuts. Since the project is so excellent, the Minister needs to protect the €24.7 million available nationally. In light of the review by Tusla and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, he needs to consider seriously increasing the funding for the project in question. It has been proven by bodies such as the ESRI that it works and is very positive. I ask the Minister again to reinstate the funding as the programme is seriously doing something about economic disadvantage, particularly on the north side of Dublin.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue.

As the Deputy knows, the school completion programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system until their completion of the senior cycle and to improve generally their school attendance, participation and retention in education. The programme is a targeted intervention aimed at those school communities that are identified through the action plan for educational inclusion of the Department of Education and Skills, DEIS.

The programme involves 124 locally managed projects and related initiatives that operate across 470 primary and 224 post-primary schools. It provides targeted supports to some 36,000 children and young people who may be at risk of educational disadvantage. The projects within the school completion programme are each managed and directed by a local management committee, which includes representatives of schools, parents, and other education stakeholders in the locality. The programme's project model approach gives local communities the autonomy to devise innovative approaches to address the needs of young people most at risk of early school leaving. That is critical.

Typically, projects offer homework clubs, breakfast clubs, mentoring programmes, learning support, social and personal development programmes for young people and out-of-school supports including music, art and sports and a range of activities during holiday periods.

Since 1 January 2014, the Child and Family Agency has had operational responsibility for the school completion programme, including the allocation of funds to local projects. In 2014, an allocation of €24.756 million has been provided for the programme. The agency has approved local projects' school retention plans for the 2014-15 academic year. The first instalment of 2014-15 funding was issued to local projects last September. Further payments, totalling approximately €9.5 million, will be issued this month, with a third instalment in May 2015. The Child and Family Agency will continue to work closely with local management committees, schools and local school completion programme co-ordinators to assist projects through the process and offer support in the delivery of their plan for young people.

The school completion project in the area mentioned by the Deputy comprises six primary schools and two post-primary schools. I am advised that €214,184 was allocated by the agency to the project for the school year 2014-15. The amount provided for 2014-15 takes account of the savings requirements in the comprehensive review of expenditure for the period 2012 to 2014.

The allocation of the funding across the range of interventions planned for young people and between the local schools in the school completion programme project for the area is a matter for the local management committee.

The Estimate for the Child and Family Agency for 2015 is €635 million, a 4.3% increase on its 2014 allocation. My Department will issue a performance statement this month under section 45 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013. This will include my priorities for consideration in the development of the agency's 2015 business plan. The business plan will set out the agency's proposed activities, programmes and priorities for 2015, including provision for the school completion programme, in light of the moneys available.

The Deputy may be aware that a review of the school completion programme has commenced. The review is an important initiative in planning for the future development of the school completion programme.

It is anticipated that the review will assist in identifying the reforms necessary to both consolidate the programme on a sustainable footing for the future and in line with the aims of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, and ensure that available funds are targeted to those services that provide the greatest contribution to good educational outcomes for children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The balance of the Minister's statement will be made available.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response to my query on the school completion programme.

I would make a number of points on the review. First, an issue that must come up as well is that there are non-DEIS schools that form part of this project. Some seem to think that if one is not in a DEIS schools, one does not have disadvantaged children. I had a meeting with a number of people on Monday night last in my constituency office in Donnycarney and they emphasised that there is a constant stream of poor and disadvantaged pupils in non-DEIS schools. I would ask the Minister to ensure that they are not excluded in the review and that the funding is not solely targeted at schools in a particular category.

I have a feeling from the response from the Minister - I hope I am right - that deep down he knows that the school completion programme is a good programme. It is important that we say so. Representatives of one of the schools said to me on Monday night last that, because of the cuts to the programme, the school had to cut back its homework clubs, from four days to two days a week, which is having an adverse effect on the pupils and on their parents and guardians. They also advised me that since the introduction of the programme in my constituency in 2002, the attendance figures have increased by over 8% and these cutbacks could undo all the good that has been done to date. In this regard the Minister referred to a business plan. Even though in one school attendance has increased by 8%, another school had been forced to let go its attendance officer and it can no longer pay for a teacher for in-school support. These are the kind of real issues on the ground.

I would like to see the reversal of the overall national 33% cut, but also that the Minister would look at it objectively and let the review group see that the project services 1,800 children in disadvantaged communities. They need our support.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I echo the Deputy's sentiment that they need our support. I fully subscribe to that.

I will refer to the review for a moment because I think it is making people nervous and it should not. It is being overseen by a steering committee involving officials of the Child and Family Agency, my Department and the Department of Education and Skills, and it is being carried out by the Economic Social Research Institute following a procurement process which was managed by the agency. The review will seek to examine the programme and how it can best support an integrated approach to address early school leaving. It will analyse the interventions provided and make recommendations for evidence informed supports designed to secure the best educational outcomes for young people. It is envisaged that the review will be completed during the 2014-15 academic year.

I note what Deputy McGrath stated about deprived children at risk in non-DEIS schools. I am pleased to say that I was invited by Deputies Regina Doherty and Helen McEntee to visit Kells where we looked at one such school completion programme and I was impressed by what I saw. There were young men and women who are interested in what they are learning in these situations around cooking, for which they fortunately have a Ballymaloe trained chef, and woodwork. They have an excellent sculptor too. It is important when we bring children back into the educational system that we make available subjects that are of interest to them and with which they can engage, and thereby also bring in the other issues around literacy and numeracy.

This is an important scheme. If I were to put it in one simple line, the review is about finding out what is working and transposing that across the entire scheme to ensure, as we are duty bound to, that the money we spend is achieving the best outcomes for the children we hope to serve.