Written answers

Tuesday, 21 March 2006

Department of Education and Science

Disadvantaged Status

8:00 pm

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 716: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of applications received under Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools; the schools offered the programme to date; the variables used in deciding which schools will be designated under this new programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10053/06]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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DEIS, Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, the new action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated school support programme, SSP. The school support programme will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The new action plan is being introduced on a phased basis, starting during the current school year. It will involve an additional annual investment of €40 million on full implementation. In addition, supports will continue to be provided for schools where the level of disadvantage is more dispersed.

The process of identifying primary and second level schools for participation in the new school support programme under DEIS has been completed. This process was managed by the Educational Research Centre, ERC, on behalf of the Department of Education and Science and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and the inspectorate. In the primary sector, the identification process was based on a survey carried out by the ERC in May 2005, from which a response rate of more than 97% was achieved.

The analysis of the survey returns from primary schools by the ERC identified the socio-economic variables that collectively best predict achievement and these variables were then used to identify schools for participation in the school support programme. The variables involved were: unemployment; local authority accommodation; lone parenthood; Travellers; large families with five or more children; and pupils eligible for free books.

In the case of second level schools, the Department supplied the ERC with centrally held data from the post-primary pupils and State Examinations Commission databases. Based on an analysis of these data, the variables used to determine eligibility for inclusion in the school support programme were as follows: medical card data for junior certificate candidates, including junior certificate school programme candidates; junior certificate retention rates by school; junior certificate examination results aggregated to school level, expressed as an OPS — overall performance scale — score. This was based on each student's performance in the seven subjects in which he or she performed best; and leaving certificate retention rates by school.

As a result of the identification process, 840 schools have been invited to participate in the new school support programme. These comprise 640 primary schools — 320 urban or town schools and 320 rural schools — and 200 second level schools. Letters of invitation were issued to all 840 schools in late February with a request to complete and return an acceptance form by 10 March 2006. The finalised list of schools participating in SSP will be published on the Department of Education and Science's website shortly.

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