Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 234: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when a decision will be made regarding disadvantaged status for primary schools; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a school (details supplied) in County Carlow has requested that it be designated as disadvantaged especially considering that the girls school in the same town with the same families is classified as disadvantaged. [11140/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Some 640 primary schools — 320 urban/town and 320 rural — have been invited to participate in the new school support programme under DEIS, delivering equality of opportunity in school, following the completion of the identification process. This new standardised system of identification will replace all of the existing arrangements for targeting schools for participation in initiatives to address educational disadvantage.

The school to which the Deputy refers is not among the 640 primary schools selected for participation in the school support programme. However, this school is among the schools receiving additional resources under pre-existing schemes and programmes for addressing concentrated disadvantage and will retain these supports for 2006-07. The efficacy of these supports will be kept under review.

As well as the provision being made under the new school support programme for schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage, financial support will be provided for other primary schools where the level of disadvantage is more dispersed. This support will be based on the results of the new identification process and the arrangements which will apply in this regard will be notified to schools early in the autumn.