Written answers

Thursday, 22 November 2012

Department of Education and Skills

Disadvantaged Status

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the position of schools which following amalgamation have lost full DEIS status; if he will have regard to the staffing implications for such schools following the loss of disadvantaged status; if he will further reconsider the position of students coming from such schools and wishing to avail of third level access programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51981/12]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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A key priority for me is to continue to prioritise and target resources at schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. The current economic climate and the challenge to meet significant targets on reducing public expenditure and operating within a ceiling on overall teacher numbers, limits opportunities and means that there is no capacity to provide for an extension of full DEIS status to these schools.

The policy of my Department is to continue to provide supports to the newly amalgamated school in respect of the number of eligible pupils from the former DEIS school/s.

The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is a third level admissions scheme for school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Eligibility is determined by a combination of indicators relating to financial, social and cultural circumstances. A person must meet the Low Income indicator as well as a combination of two other indicators from a range of five different indicators. The completion of five years in a school designated as DEIS is just one of the five relevant indicators.

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