Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 34: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 477 of 8 May 2008 the location of each school which is being assisted under the DEIS action plan for education inclusion; the number of pupils affected in each school; the role of the National Education Welfare Board in the areas where the schools are located; the outcomes that have occurred to date in improving the attendance or retention of pupils at risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26070/08]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the schools which have been identified for inclusion in DEIS, the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion, has been forwarded to the Deputy. A total of 90,000 children attend primary and 61,000 children attend post-primary schools participating in DEIS.

In the region of €800 million will be spent by the Department this year on tackling educational disadvantage at all levels — from pre-school to further and higher education. This represents an increase of nearly €70 million on the comparable 2007 figure and is testament to the Government's determination to prioritise social inclusion and ensure that all our children and young people get the supports they need to do well at school. Social inclusion measures across all Government departments have also been prioritised under the Towards 2016 agreement, the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-16 and the National Development Plan.

Enhancing attendance, progression, retention and attainment are central to DEIS which is being implemented at present. The 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 multi-faceted 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.

The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) as the national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework, promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the Board are to ensure that each child attends a recognized school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The Board operates through 5 regional teams, with bases in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. A service is provided from 26 locations nationwide.

Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs) are appointed and deployed throughout the country to discharge the Board's functions locally. The NEWB's network of EWOs is the key means by which the Board delivers on its statutory remit to ensure that each child attends and benefits from education. EWOs employ a welfare oriented approach in the interests of the children and young people who do not attend school regularly, working collaboratively with schools, parents and other agencies in meeting the needs of the children and the young people concerned.

In deploying its service staff, from its earliest development, the NEWB has prioritised the provision of services to the most disadvantaged areas and the most at-risk groups. This deployment includes areas designated under the Government's RAPID programme and to schools in the DEIS programme. There is a significant overlap between RAPID areas and the most disadvantaged areas identified under DEIS. EWOs provide an intensive service in these areas.

Under Towards 2016 a commitment was made that an additional 100 posts in total would be provided for the NEWB and the National Educational Psychological Service by the end of 2009, to help further address absenteeism, early school leaving, behavioural problems and special needs. 15 of these posts were sanctioned for the NEWB in 2007. As new posts come on stream, DEIS designated schools will receive priority attention. EWOs respond to referrals from schools and every effort is made to work with those children most at risk and where schools indicate particular concerns. The NEWB also gives priority to children who have no school place or who have been expelled or who have been referred by the courts regardless of location.

Early analysis of attendance data has shown improvement in areas. However, more in-depth studies are required to measure outcomes in respect of attendance and retention in the long term.

The service provided by the NEWB is just one aspect of the comprehensive framework that this Government has put in place to support schools, families and young people themselves.

The range of curricula available to students has also been widened by promoting the Junior Certificate Schools Programme, the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, and the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme in addition to the traditional Junior and Leaving Certificate curricula.

Preventative measures have also been put in place such as the School Completion Programme and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme. The number of projects participating in the School Completion Programme 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 total of 450 local HSCL coordinators provide HSCL services to 691 schools (370 Primary and 281 Post primary), with an additional 80 posts made available in 2006 to extend Home School Community Liaison services to all schools selected to participate in DEIS that did not have such services. The previous Minister for this Department Mary Hanafin T.D., also extended a commitment to schools not selected to participate in DEIS but already in the HSCL scheme, to continue to support these schools in their efforts to deal with educational disadvantage among their students in line with both their size and level of disadvantage.

The latest Retention Report published by the Department in March this year provides data on the cohort of pupils who entered the first year of the junior cycle in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and most of whom completed their senior cycle five to six years following the year of intake. This is the third such report tracking pupil retention and the trend is showing yearly improvements in retention rates. It is compiled from data on the Department's Post Primary Pupils Database and tracks students in State aided schools (with an estimate of those attaining their Leaving Cert in private institutions). It does not take into account students pursuing other educational pathways such as Youthreach or apprenticeship training.

Key results from the report are:

Retention rates have been increasing slightly year-on-year since 1996. The national unadjusted retention rate for the 1999 cohort is 80.5% compared to 77.8% in 1996.

When an adjustment is made for external candidates who complete their Leaving Cert in privately funded institutions, emigration and deaths, the national retention rate is 83.7% compared to 81.3% in 1996.

In relation to second chance educational opportunities for young people who left school early, this Government has shown a sustained commitment to providing greater opportunities in the adult and further education sectors. Many such young people take up places in Youthreach centres, while others pursue options such as FÁS apprenticeships.