John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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33. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when she will publish a new school completion strategy to further improve school completion rates particularly in disadvantaged areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35149/16]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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My question to the Minister follows from a commitment in the programme for Government to publish a new school completion strategy to further improve school completion rates and especially in areas of disadvantage. Perhaps the Minister would be in a position to tell me when the new strategy will be worked on and what the consultation process might involve.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I thank Deputy Curran. Improving attendance and participation in education is a key priority for me, particularly regarding vulnerable children. The programme for Government, as the Deputy said, commits to publishing a new school completion strategy to further improve school completion rates, especially in disadvantaged areas. My Department will work closely with the Minister for Education and Skills in developing the new strategy. We will prepare it in the context of the Government programme commitment to a new action plan for educational inclusion to secure good educational outcomes for all children, especially those at risk of educational disadvantage.

The ongoing review of the DEIS programme, which targets supports to schools and students in the most disadvantaged areas, will inform the development of this strategy. I hope to progress the school completion strategy in the latter half of 2017. In the meantime, Tusla is working on improvements to the governance and operation of the school completion programme. I believe the programme is a vital response in securing improved educational outcomes for those who are at risk of early school leaving. The ESRI's report on the programme in October 2015 pointed to the effectiveness of the service but emphasised the need for organisational reforms. Tusla has been working on these in order to strengthen its operation. For example, an unemployment audit was carried out and its findings are under currently consideration. These improvements will form a valuable backdrop to a new school completion strategy. I want the strategy to recognise possible alternative provisions where students are not suited to mainstream education and we will also need to respond to the needs of children from ethnic and minority groups with low school completion rates, including the Traveller and Roma communities.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. I appreciate the fact that she has given a timeframe for the strategy. I encourage her to engage in as broad a consultation process as possible. The school completion programme to date has been successful but it does not mean we can be complacent and that there are no new challenges. It is worth noting that the most recent figures available indicate that about nine out of ten students complete second level education. Unfortunately, particular problems arise in the DEIS schools where one in five students do not complete school. I hope that the focus of the new programme will look specifically at DEIS schools. It is interesting, when one looks at the DEIS schools, that the gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools in getting to students to junior certificate is only 3%. Some 94% complete their junior certificate in DEIS schools and 97% get to junior certificate in non-DEIS schools. When they get to the leaving certificate, however, there is a 10% gap. The review needs to focus very strongly on that period from junior certificate to leaving certificate. Those students who do transition year are also more likely to complete their schooling compared with those who do not do transition year.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The Deputy's suggestion that the consultation process should be as wide as possible is helpful. That is something we need to do and that we will do.

As I mentioned in my initial response, a number of reviews of the school completion programme were undertaken, many of which would point to some of the issues the Deputy identified. Those reviews are with Tusla and my Department and they will need careful consideration. The funding implications are also critical and need to be examined based on the evidence and the recommendations of the reviews, the differences in percentages, as the Deputy identified, the transition from junior to senior level and the evidence that it is clearly a very good programme that needs to be supported, but that should be done in light of careful consideration of the reviews that have taken place.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I specifically ask the Minister to ensure we would go a little further with the new programme. It is not sufficient that students complete their schooling at leaving certificate. We need to review where they go after that and how they are equipped to take up work or to go on to third level. That is important. We all know that fewer students going to UCD and the other universities come from disadvantaged areas and DEIS schools than come from more affluent areas. The challenge is for us to address that in conjunction with school completion. The issue is not only the rate of completion but that we raise the standard right through that level to give students equal opportunities. If a child is coming from a DEIS school or a disadvantaged area, their expectations starting out should be equal to a child coming from a advantaged area in terms of access to third level being an opportunity for me. Unfortunately, that does not always seem to be the case. They get to leaving certificate but do not seem to transition in the same way, and that needs to be the next step of school completion.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I completely agree with the Deputy.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for that.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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That is a very progressive recommendation or insight. I have spent much time in my constituency, particularly in sections of Tallaght west as we call it, most recently with a group of principals and educational welfare officers or staff who came together around a big table to examine the issues with which they are dealing, much of which are around ensuring their students move successfully from junior to senior level and that this level is completed successfully. I and they would share the Deputy's deep commitment to working together in the communities with all the schools coming together, as has been demonstrated in Killinarden from my recent experience there, not only to ensure the students complete second level successfully but, as part of that process, that they have the ambition to go beyond that level to third level.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Questions Nos. 34 and 41, in the names of Deputies Boyd Barrett and Bríd Smith, respectively, which are being taken together cannot be taken now as the Deputies are not present in the Chamber.