Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 308: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount being spent in each year since the establishment of the stay in school retention initiative by her Department; the amount of same in each year spent on salaries and expenses for co-ordinators both local and national; the amount being spent for the use of pupils within the scheme; the improvements that have been secured in the figures over this period of time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15066/08]

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 310: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in view of the fact the objective of the stay in school retention initiative is to increase the number going on to study for the leaving certificate, she will state the number of pupils, in each year since the establishment of the initiative, who have gone on to study for the leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15078/08]

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 339: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the budgetary allocation to the school completion programme in each year over the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15280/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 308, 310 and 339 together.

The School Completion Programme, implemented in 2002, incorporates the learning, experience and best practice derived from previous early school leaving initiatives and assimilates the 8 to 15 Early School Leaver Initiative (ESLI) and Stay-in School Retention Initiative at Second Level (SSRI). Evidence generated from the pilot phases of the School Completion Programme showed that the most effective way of addressing educational disadvantage is through an integrated services approach based on the development of local strategies to ensure maximum participation levels in the education process. This prompted my Department to significantly expand the programme based on the project model in 2002 and again in 2006 under DEIS, the Action Plan for education inclusion.

Details of funding allocated to the School Completion Programme over the past 5 years is as follows:

2004 — €23.473m

2005 — €24.060m

2006 — €24.662m

2007 — €28.888m

2008 — €31.160m

The objective of the School Completion Programme is to provide a range of interventions in areas of disadvantage that support the retention of young people in education and aims to develop local strategies to ensure maximum participation levels in the education process, entails targeting individual young people of school-going age, both in and out of school, and arranging supports to address inequalities in education access, participation and outcomes. It is based on the project model with an integrated approach involving primary and post primary schools, parents and relevant statutory, voluntary and community agencies. The programme is funded on a multi-annual basis under the National Development Plan (NDP) and up to 2007 with assistance from the European Social Fund (ESF)

82 projects were selected to participate in the School Completion Programme in 2002. This number has increased, under DEIS, to 124 projects spanning 26 counties, comprising 224 post-primary schools and 468 primary schools and targeting approx. 36,000 young people. A local management committee, comprising of representatives of schools and other relevant agencies, manage each project. Projects are required to engage in a consultative and planning process with the school staff, with parents and with local representatives of relevant statutory, voluntary and community agencies in the development of annual retention plans. What makes the School Completion Programme unique is its 'bottom up' approach, which allows the local management committees to put together plans and supports that target the needs of local young people at risk of early school leaving. Each project employs a local Co-ordinator to run the project at local level.

The level of funding allocated to projects is dependant on the submission of their annual Retention plan and taking into account the level of disadvantage in the schools involved in each project, the target group selected for intensive supports, the salaries of personnel employed and the overall level of funding available to the programme. Current annual funding to projects range from approx. €80,000 to over €400,000 in respect of a full year's involvement in the Programme. A National Co-ordination Team that comprises a National Co-ordinator and four Regional Co-ordinators support the School Completion Programme. It is the task of the National Co-ordination Team to advise on and monitor the integrated area-based Retention Plans that support the young person at-risk at local level. A Programme Research and Development Officer provides research and administrative support for the development, delivery and evaluation of the School Completion Programme.

While data in relation to SCP target group is not readily available, the latest data published by my Department on retention rates in second-level schools relate to the cohort of entrants to the first year of junior cycle in 1997, 1998 and 1999. The published data for the 1999 cohort indicates that the national adjusted retention rate to completion of the Junior Certificate examination is 94.6% and the national adjusted retention rate to completion of the Leaving Certificate examination is 83.7%, an increase of 2.6% over 1996 cohort.

This Government has pursued a dual strategy of both encouraging more young people to finish school and ensuring much greater second chance and further education opportunities for those who left school early. This kind of strategy ensures that young people are empowered to achieve their full potential, be that by sitting the Leaving Cert or by pursuing qualifications through other pathways such as Youthreach or FAS apprenticeships which may be more appropriate to their individual interests. CSO data show that the educational profile of 20-24 year olds in Ireland has improved steadily over the last five years, as increasing opportunities have been made available in the further education and training sector. By 2006, 85.7% of 20-24 year olds had attained upper second-level education or equivalent, up from 84% in 2002 and putting Ireland ahead of the EU average of 77.8%.