Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will review the level of disadvantage in relation to a primary school (details supplied) in County Mayo and include this school in the new integrated school support programme under DEIS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39732/06]

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 DEIS 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 School Support Programme. 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.

The closing date for receipt of review applications was Friday, 31st March, 2006. An application for review was not received from the school referred to by the Deputy. The Group has submitted a final report and the review process is now concluded.

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 2006/2007. After that, schools will continue to get support in line with the level of disadvantage among their pupils.

The DEIS action plan states that, as well as the provision being made for schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage, financial support will also continue to be provided for primary schools where the level of disadvantage is more dispersed.