Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 503: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application for a home liaison teacher for a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24466/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Home/School/Community Liaison Scheme is a major mainstream preventative strategy targeted at pupils at risk of not reaching their potential in the educational system because of background characteristics which tend to affect adversely pupil attainment and school retention. The scheme is concerned with establishing partnership and collaboration between parents and teachers in the interests of children's learning. It focuses directly on the salient adults in children's educational lives and seeks indirect benefits for the children themselves.

Currently, 370 local co-ordinators are assigned to 309 primary and 204 post primary schools in disadvantaged areas to work with school staff, parents and relevant community agencies in advancing the educational interests of children. Under DEIS, the new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion, HSCL services will be extended to the 200 post primary and 320 urban/town primary schools that do not currently have the service.

The whole rationale behind the new DEIS programme is to ensure that the most disadvantaged schools benefit from all of the available supports.

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.