Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, for taking my adjournment motion at this late hour, which relates to extending the school day. I suppose it may seem strange to speak about extending the school day at a time when many schools are under starters orders to close for the summer and some have already closed. I draw to the attention of the Minister of State and the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, the initiative that has been in operation in some schools in the North so that we can explore the potential for a similar project in this jurisdiction. It could be argued that we have lot of it in Ireland already but perhaps it is not as co-ordinated as I would like to think and is not as far-reaching as it appears to be in the North.

Too often we bemoan the fact that the school day is over between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. and the facilities are, in the main, left idle until 9 a.m. the next day. Often those bemoaning this fact are local sports clubs that are stuck for an indoor or outdoor training space or local community activity groups which need room for drama, band practice and so forth.

The project of which I have been made aware involves schools opening their doors for longer and bringing in outside organisations. Such extended school opening aims to improve the chances of pupils and parents in deprived areas. We have just discussed deprived areas and, as an aside, I ask the Minister of State to examine the issue of rates. If we can exempt preschools from rates we might have more scope for people to make money from the capitation they receive.

The out-of-hours learning service gives support to pupils who are reaching out to rather than rejecting education. It was initiated in the North in 2006 and 500 schools across the region, including 125 in Belfast, are supported. The funding has come from a source separate to the main education budget to support breakfast clubs, computer classes, after-school study, sports, counselling and other activities supported by the school, and transport is organised to pick the children up when they have finished their activities. The scheme assists pupils and their parents to gain self esteem and, in so doing, encourages them to achieve more. It is a win-win cycle, even in the fact that congestion at a particular time is now averted because not everyone is finishing school at the same time.

Two examples I have read about are the girls' and boys' model schools in north Belfast. Anyone who knows the area knows the pupils come from a deprived background and the statistics do not show such children as having significant employment potential. A full service programme is provided to students, their families and local people on a year-round basis in school and after school. It has raised expectations for a community whose expectations, given recent census information, would not have been high.

The extended schools are experiencing increased attendance, a reduction in drop-out rates and improved achievement. For example, some of the students can deliver lessons in subjects they are strong in. Non-national children can teach their classmates or community a new language. This has implications in terms of confidence for the young teacher and scope for understanding other cultures.

For those whose attendance is not good, the home links teacher, which I assume is similar to our home-school-community liaison scheme, can help identify underlying problems the student may be having and a counselling need, which is what makes a difference. If counselling is integrated, children who have been identified as needing it can receive it.

Parents can take GCSEs, which are similar to the junior certificate, in mathematics and English or courses in formal areas such astronomy or ceramics. Such personal development is invaluable to their employability as they are encouraged in self-development and further study. It also enables parents to help their children with their studies because they understand the difficulties or have made themselves more proficient in a particular skill.

The transfer for students from primary to secondary school is focused upon and a transition teacher assists with the process, especially for vulnerable children with learning difficulties or physical disabilities who can be supported in coping with the change. Home link co-ordinators offer one-to-one parent advice to improve parenting skills. Parents also have their voice heard as they have an input into school decision making to a certain level.

This holistic approach is worthy of comparison. I understand we have many aspects of what I have outlined, but in my area it was recently announced that rural co-ordinators for schools, such as the one for five schools in Clonmany, have been withdrawn. I am aware the schools concerned had a person who was able to reach out into their community and was doing significant work with families and not just students. What is worse is that these schools are likely to re-qualify for full DEIS status when a review takes place soon.

I would like to see the year-round element of our school infrastructure being developed. I ask the Minister of State to promote the concept of national group insurance to overcome insurance difficulties that may be cited and work through all the issues that may be presented by unions and other people to ensure our opportunities are maximised and not minimised, whether we are discussing one part of the year or another.

Surely raising expectations, offering more variety, and keeping the students gainfully occupied while offering parents opportunities to develop themselves is more necessary now than ever. Have we started the process or are we well down the road? I listened to a recent radio programme about summer schools where there was an argument about whether children should be involved in them or free to do whatever they want to do. There was a strong argument for like-mined children, such as those who like football, chess or mathematics, to be given the opportunity during the summer to come together across all sorts of divides and barriers, be they economic or at any other level.

It has proven to be a very positive experience for children. We should not rule out the concept of having our schools and facilities open not only to the students but also to the communities, not just during the school time of winter, autumn and spring but also during the summer.