Written answers

Wednesday, 1 June 2005

Department of Education and Science

School Staffing

8:00 pm

Photo of Cecilia KeaveneyCecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 245: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding an application for an early start teacher for a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18686/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Early Start pre-school project was established in 40 primary schools in designated areas of urban disadvantage in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Drogheda and Dundalk during 1994 and 1995. The aims of Early Start are to expose young children to an educational programme which would enhance their overall development, prevent school failure and offset the effects of social disadvantage.

Early Start is a one-year, pre-school intervention aimed at children from selected designated areas of disadvantage. Children must be between the ages of three and four on 1 September of the year they are enrolled. The Early Start project is designed to cater for the needs of children who are most at risk of not reaching their potential in the education system and the school must give priority to the children who are most at risk.

The new action plan for educational inclusion, Delivering Equality Of Opportunity In Schools or DEIS, which I launched earlier this week, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated school support programme, which will bring together and build upon, a number of existing interventions for schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The action plan aims to concentrate early childhood education actions on those children, aged from three up to school enrolment, who will subsequently attend the 150 urban-town primary schools, participating in the new school support programme and identified as serving the most disadvantaged communities.

The early childhood education actions under the new plan will be well targeted and my Department will work in partnership with other departments and agencies with a view to meeting the overall care and education needs of the children involved in an integrated way. A strong emphasis will be placed on adding value to the work of other providers by embedding quality early learning within child care provision. The future direction of the Early Start programme will be considered in rolling out the new action plan.

A survey to assess levels of disadvantage in primary schools is being carried out with the assistance of the educational research centre and this will assist my Department in identifying the primary school communities to be targeted for early education support under the action plan. The plan will be implemented on a phased basis, commencing in the next school year.

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