Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 491: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will review the status of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 9 in view of the socioeconomic profile of the school pupils and in view of the fact that all local schools have disadvantaged status. [13958/07]

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. 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 that applied for a review were informed of the outcome in August, 2006.

My Department is considering putting separate arrangements in place to address exceptional situations arising up to the time of the next identification process which will be held in 2009/2010. These arrangements will apply to new schools, such as the school referred to by the Deputy, (including those created through amalgamation), opening in 2005/2006 or thereafter. The arrangements may also apply to schools located in certain communities which have suffered significant socioeconomic decline since the commencement of DEIS. Consideration will be given to such changes at the mid-way point between the 2005/2006 and 2009/2010 identification process i.e. in 2007/2008.