Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 480: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her Department has received an application from schools (details supplied) in Dublin 11 for funding to support a school attendance programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37580/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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An application for funding has been received from the schools referred to by the Deputy through the School Completion Programme which provides general support for almost 1,600 primary students and approximately 790 post primary students. Intensive targeted supports are provided for 201 primary students, 25 post primary students and 18 out of school young people in this area.

The School Completion Programme is targeted at children and young people who are at risk of early school leaving and/or those who may have already dropped out of school. It is a broadly based programme which is cross-community and cross-sectoral. Attendance tracking and monitoring is one of the most widely implemented supports offered in SCP. The tracking of young people at risk of early school leaving is a cornerstone approach in the work of SCP and often leads to the identification of other difficulties in the class or at home.

The allocation to the SCP project concerned includes substantial funding for attendance promotion within the project for 2006/2007. Requests for additional funding cannot be considered until the completion of the evaluation of the School Completion Programme and following this, it will be integrated into the School Support Programme of DEIS over the five year implementation period, with any appropriate changes being made to the model of support involved. School clusters participating in the School Support Programme of DEIS will be required to incorporate the best practices identified through the evaluation of School Completion Programme into their cluster-level action plans.