Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 238: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will re-examine the need of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 6W to be given disadvantaged status; and the position regarding the school's application for additional resource teachers. [13844/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Giving Children an Even Break scheme subsumes the previous process of designation of schools that serve areas of educational disadvantage and my Department's approach is now refined to ensure that individual at risk pupils are targeted. Rather than the old method of designating additional schools, under this scheme my Department provides support that is commensurate with the levels of concentration in schools of pupils with characteristics that are associated with educational disadvantage and early school leaving.

The school referred to by the Deputy is included in the urban dimension of the Giving Children an Even Break programme. It is benefiting from supplementary funding to provide additional educational supports for the children concerned. The school was not considered eligible for additional teaching staff based on the level of concentration of at risk pupils.