Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 302: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will review the decision to decline DEIS funding to a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary and to insure that it is included for funding for the next school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33699/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the 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 process of identifying primary and second-level schools for participation in the SSP 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.

As a result of the identification process, 840 schools were invited to participate in the SSP. These comprised 640 primary schools (320 urban/town schools and 320 rural schools) and 200 second-level schools.

A review mechanism was put in place to address the concerns of schools that did not qualify for inclusion in the School Support Programme but regarded themselves as having a level of disadvantage which is of a scale sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the programme. The review process operated 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.

An application for review was received from the school referred to by the Deputy and was thoroughly examined by the Review Group. In accordance with the recommendations of the Review Group, the school has not been identified for inclusion in the School Support Programme and the Principal was informed by letter on 4th August.

Schools which have not qualified for the new School Support Programme and which are receiving additional resources, both human and financial, under pre-existing schemes and programmes for addressing disadvantage, will retain these supports for the 2006/2007 school year. After that, such schools will continue to get support in line with the level of disadvantage among their pupils.