Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 597: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the rate of dropout from schools in County Meath compared with other counties; the plans in place to address this problem; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34307/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The average Leaving Certificate retention rate for Co. Meath was 80.9% while the national average Leaving Certificate retention rate was 77.8%. These rates are not adjusted to allow for factors such as persons opting to pursue their senior cycle education in private institutions (estimated 2,050), emigration and death (estimated 260). The adjusted national average Leaving Certificate retention rate for the 1996 cohort was 81.3 per cent (compared to 81.8% for the 1994 cohort). The adjusted figure by county is not available.

The average Junior Certificate retention rate for Co. Meath was 96.0%, while the national average Junior Certificate retention rate was 94.6%.

Given the clear link between early school leaving and continued socio-economic disadvantage in adult life, the Government is determined to do all that is possible to ensure that every child gets all the opportunities and support they need to enable them to complete their education and my Department has adopted a broad-based approach to tackling the problems of early school leaving. This approach includes legislative change, such as the establishment of the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. Curricular reforms have been introduced such as widening the educational experience available to students through such programmes as the Junior Certificate Schools Programme, the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, and the Leaving Certificate Applied. Senior cycle reform has the potential to promote greater inclusion and effective participation, to provide greater curriculum balance and choice and to contribute to a more positive learning culture in schools. Preventative measures have also been put in place such as the School Completion Programme and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL). The School Completion Programme directly targets those in danger of dropping out of the education system and discriminates positively in favour of children and young people who are at risk of early school leaving. The Home School Community Liaison Scheme establishes partnership and collaboration between parents, teachers and communities in the interests of children's learning.

Enhancing attendance, progression, retention and attainment are central to DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) the action plan for educational inclusion. The action plan represents a shift in emphasis away from individual initiatives, each addressing a particular aspect of the problem, with the new plan adopting a multi-faceted and more integrated approach. This is the first time that an integrated educational inclusion strategy has been developed for 3-18 year olds in this country.

The plan provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated School Support Programme (SSP) which will bring together and build upon, a number of existing interventions for schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. 670 primary schools, comprising 338 urban/town and 332 rural, and 203 second-level schools, have been included in the School Support Programme. The new action plan is being introduced on a phased basis — starting in 2006 — and will involve an additional annual investment of €40m on full implementation. It will also involve the provision of some 300 additional posts across the education system.

The key principle of early intervention underpins both the early childhood education measure and many of the literacy and numeracy measures being adopted under the new action plan.

The new action plan will place a renewed emphasis on the involvement of parents and families in children's education in schools. The Department and the NEWB will work together to ensure that an integrated approach to children at risk is adopted. The School Completion Programme will be integrated into the new School Support Programme under the action plan.

Progression from primary to second-level is recognised as a crucial transition period in a child's education. Under the action plan, a continuing emphasis will be placed on the development of effective transfer programmes by building on the existing work of the Home School Community Liaison Scheme and the School Completion Programme. Other areas such as extending access to Schools' Business Partnerships, school meals, guidance counselling and student councils will also be facilitated through the action plan. In addition, increased integration will be promoted between the work of second-level schools and centres catering for young early school leavers, particularly Youthreach centres and Senior Traveller Training Centres.

Also central to the success of the action plan will be an increased emphasis on planning at school and school cluster level, target-setting and measurement of progress and outcomes to ensure that the increased investment is matched by an improvement in educational outcomes for the children and young people concerned.