Written answers

Tuesday, 28 March 2006

Department of Education and Science

Disadvantaged Status

11:00 pm

Photo of Billy TimminsBilly Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 456: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number and the schools in Counties Wicklow and Carlow classified as disadvantaged; the way in which these were selected; her plans to add more schools to this list; the names of these schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11689/06]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Since the previous parliamentary question of 15 February 2006 was answered, 840 schools have been invited to participate in the new programme for educational inclusion which provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage — the school support programme, SSP, under DEIS, delivering equality of opportunity in schools. These comprise 640 primary schools — 320 urban-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. These include seven urban-town, four rural primary schools and six second-level schools in Wicklow, two urban-town, four rural primary schools and two second-level schools in Carlow have been invited to participate in the new 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 my Department 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, 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, which was based on each student's performance in the seven subjects in which she or he performed best and leaving certificate retention rates by school.

A review mechanism has been put in place to address the concerns of schools that did not qualify for inclusion in the school support programme but regard themselves as having a level of disadvantage which is of a scale sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the programme. This mechanism will operate under the direction of an independent person, charged with ensuring that all relevant identification processes and procedures were properly followed in the case of schools applying for a review. The school to which the Deputy refers has requested a review and a review form issued to the school on 7 March 2006. The closing date for receipt of review applications is Friday, 31 March 2006.

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