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). DEIS will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The process of identifying 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. The ERC's overall approach was guided by the definition of educational disadvantage in the Education Act (1998), section 32(9), as: "the impediments to education arising from social or economic disadvantage which prevent students from deriving appropriate benefit from education in schools".

In the primary sector, the identification process was based on a survey carried out by the ERC in May 2005, from which a response rate of more than 97% was achieved. The analysis of the survey returns from primary schools by the ERC identified the socio-economic variables that collectively best predict achievement, and these variables were then used to identify schools for participation in the School Support Programme. The variables involved were: % unemployment, % local authority accommodation, % lone parenthood, % Travellers, % large families (5 or more children), and % pupils eligible for free books.

In the case of second-level schools, the Department supplied the ERC with centrally-held data from the Post-Primary Pupils and State Examinations Commission databases. Based on an analysis of these data, the variables used to determine eligibility for inclusion in the School Support Programme were as follows:

Medical card data for Junior Certificate candidates (including Junior Certificate School Programme candidates);

Junior Certificate retention rates by school;

Junior Certificate exam results aggregated to school level (expressed as an OPS — "Overall Performance Scale" — score), this was based on each student's performance in the seven subjects in which s/he performed best; and

Leaving Certificate retention rates by school.

The identification process was in line with international best practice and had regard to and employed the exiting and most appropriate data sources available. A review mechanism was put in place to address the concerns of schools that did not qualify for inclusion in DEIS but regarded themselves as having a level of disadvantage which was 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 31 March, 2006. The Group submitted a report and the review is now concluded. Schools who applied for a review were informed of the outcome in August, 2006. Schools which have not qualified for inclusion in DEIS and which are receiving additional resources under pre-existing schemes for addressing disadvantage, can be assured that they will continue to receive support in line with their level of disadvantage.

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). DEIS will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The new 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 multifaceted 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. Targeting resources at the most disadvantaged schools who are working to counteract educational disadvantage will continue to be a priority for the Government. Under DEIS I recently announced the provision of 80 new posts to add to the 370 posts already in place in order to extend to Home School Community Liaison service to any of the DEIS schools that do not currently have the service. In addition, all schools will continue to receive HSCL services after 2006/2007. HSCL services will continue to be provided to some 650 schools (370 primary and 282 second level schools). However, following a full review of HSCL clustering arrangements by the Department in the coming year, levels of service may be varied in some schools to reflect their levels of disadvantage and size and to facilitate local HSCL coordinators working with families of disadvantaged children across both primary and second level. As a result of the identification process and subsequent review, 51 primary schools and 11 second level schools in Galway have been included in the School Support Programme. This is in excess of 20% of all primary and secondary schools in the county which for the school year 2004/2005 stood at 233 primary and 47 second-level schools respectively. Schools which have not qualified for inclusion in DEIS and which are receiving additional resources under pre-existing schemes for addressing disadvantage, can be assured that they will continue to receive support in line with their level of disadvantage.