Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 576: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason there was no consultation with secondary schools in an area (details supplied) in County Mayo in relation to the DEIS. [20863/06]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 577: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason of the nineteen primary schools in an area (details supplied) in County Mayo, only 18 of them are included in the DEIS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20864/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 576 and 577 together.

The new DEIS programme will be of huge benefit to schools in Mayo. I am sure the Deputy would agree that it is important to make sure that schools serving the most disadvantaged communities get all the extra support possible and will welcome the extra resources that DEIS will provide for Mayo schools. I can assure the Deputy that there is no reason for schools that have not been identified for the new programme to worry as they will continue to get support in line with the level of disadvantage among their pupils. Not one of these schools has been told that they will lose any resources as a result of DEIS.

DEIS is designed to ensure that schools serving the most disadvantaged communities benefit from the maximum level of support available. Over the years, no less than 8 separate schemes for disadvantaged primary schools have been put in place. Some schools were benefiting from just one or two of these and others were benefiting from more. The DEIS initiative is designed to ensure that the most disadvantaged schools benefit from a comprehensive package of supports, while ensuring that others continue to get support in line with the level of disadvantage among their pupils.

The additionality in DEIS for second level schools is evident from the fact that about 40% of the 200 second-level schools that will benefit from the School Support Programme were not getting any support under the three pre-existing schemes. Now they will get a wide range of extra supports.

No school has been told that they are going to lose resources. On the contrary, four urban/town primary schools, 59 rural primary schools and 6 second-level schools in Mayo have been invited to benefit from all the resources available from the new programme. Indeed, nearly 20% of all the rural schools invited to benefit from the new programme nationally are in Mayo.

While the whole rationale behind the new programme is to ensure that the most disadvantaged schools benefit from all of the available supports, schools that are benefiting from pre-existing schemes will keep the extra resources — financial and human — that they are getting under these initiatives for the 2006/07 school year. After that they will continue to get support in line with the level of socio-economic disadvantage among their pupils.

In relation to how schools were identified to benefit from the new programme, 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 (5 or more children)

% 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 exam 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 s/he performed best

∙Leaving Certificate retention rates by school.

A review process has been put in place for primary and second-level schools that did not qualify for participation in the new School Support Programme (SSP) and that regard themselves as having a level of disadvantage which is of a scale sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the Programme. The review process 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 closing date for receipt of review applications was Friday 31st March, 2006. The review process is underway and it is anticipated that it will be completed before the end of the current school year.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 578: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a school (details supplied) in County Mayo was not included in the delivering equality of opportunity scheme, in view of the fact that the two other secondary schools in which this programme is offered are vocational schools, and all the pupils come from the same feeder primary schools. [20865/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The process of identifying primary and second-level schools for participation in the new School Support Programme under DEIS was managed by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf of the Department and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and the Inspectorate.

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 exam 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 s/he performed best Leaving Certificate retention rates by school.

While the whole rationale behind the new programme is to ensure that the most disadvantaged schools benefit from all of the available supports, schools that are benefiting from existing schemes, including the school to which the Deputy refers will keep the extra resources — financial and human — that they are getting under these initiatives for the 2006/07 school year. After that they will continue to get support in line with the level of socio-economic disadvantage among their pupils.

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 submitted an application for review and a formal acknowledgement has issued to the school. It is anticipated that the review process will be completed before the end of the current school year.