Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for stepping in on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. I am here on behalf of St. Luke's National School in Tyrrelstown which was hoping that it would be awarded DEIS - Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools - status in the review of DEIS. It put a great deal of effort into the appeal. I have to say I am scratching my head to see this school not being brought into the DEIS system, and I cannot express the disappointment the school is experiencing.

DEIS supports schools and students with the highest level of concentrated educational disadvantage. Part of the problem is that Tyrrelstown is not ranked as disadvantaged or very disadvantaged in Pobal's Haase and Pratschke, HP, deprivation index, but the pockets of affluence mask extreme poverty. The experience on the ground with this school is poverty, deprivation and social challenges. I have 15 reasons that the decision to bring the school into DEIS should have been supported. It is a diverse, intercultural community. It borders on Buzzardstown, Mulhuddart and Corduff, areas that are considered disadvantaged or very disadvantaged, and some of the school's population comes from those areas. At times, the school has had over 90% of the school population requiring English as an additional language, EAL, support.Every year, it appeals its staff allocation and the appeal is granted. The school's note states that if it did not get EAL temporary posts each year, its three permanent teachers would have to cater to a ratio of 1:146 EAL pupils, an impossible task. The school carried out a home survey of its 590 pupils and found that 7.9% were Roma, 3.6% were homeless, the families of 47.5% held medical cards and both parents of only 12.5% were employed. This year, 85% of the school population required EAL support. As for school attendance, 31 families had been referred to the educational welfare service for unexplained absences of more than 20 days, while 187 pupils missed more than 20 days this year, but the school does not have a home-school liaison officer. It does not have a good level of parental involvement; in fact, it is very poor and the school has been trying to address that through integration projects. More than 50% of the children who attend the school fail to do their homework each evening, which is essential for literacy and numeracy skills.

A home-school liaison officer would be transformational for the school. It finds it very difficult to get the parents on board, in the context of the challenges the children face, with the help that is required such as speech and language therapy from Dyslexia Ireland, the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, and child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. Moreover, it is very sad that the school has a high number of referrals to the child protective services given, in the case of some of the families, corporal punishment can be the norm. This is all outlined in the school's submission. It operates a book-rental scheme and provides for children who come without lunches, and allows homeless families to use the school washing machine, tumble dryer and ovens. This school is doing all the things a DEIS school would assist pupils to do, but it is doing so out of its own pocket. I could also go on about assessments. I do not understand why this school was not brought into DEIS. It is a travesty.