Written answers

Thursday, 17 November 2005

Department of Education and Science

Disadvantaged Status

5:00 pm

Photo of Seán CroweSeán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when she proposes to publish her plans regarding the designation and allocation of resources for schools deemed to be disadvantaged. [34980/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Delivering equality of opportunity in schools, or DEIS, is the new action plan for educational inclusion, which will be introduced on a phased basis starting during the current school year. It aims to ensure that the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities are prioritised and effectively addressed.

The new plan is the outcome of the first full review of all programmes for tackling educational disadvantage that have been put in place over the past 20 years and it will involve an additional annual investment of around €40 million on full implementation. It will also involve the creation of about 300 additional posts across the education system generally. A key element of this new action plan is the putting in place of a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage in our primary and second level schools, which will result in improved targeting of resources at those most in need. The identification and analysis processes are being managed by the educational research centre on behalf of my Department.

As a result of the identification process, approximately 600 primary schools, 300 of which are urban and 300 of which are rural, along with 150 second level schools, will be included in a new school support programme, or SSP. The SSP will bring together a number of existing interventions for schools and school clusters with a concentrated level of educational disadvantage. It is anticipated that the identification process will be completed by the end of the year.

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