Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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64. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to extend the creative schools pilot project; and the number of DEIS schools that are part of the project. [1677/19]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Creative Schools pilot project is one of the flagship projects of Creative Youth - a plan to enable the creative potential for every child and young person, which was launched last December 2017. This Plan seeks to ensure that every child in Ireland has practical access to tuition, experience and participation in music, drama, art and coding by 2022. This Plan is being led by my Department, the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Arts Council, all working in partnership.

The Creative Schools pilot project for 150 schools was launched in 2017 and is now up and running reaching over 38,000 children and young people. Approximately 10% of all schools in the country applied for the pilot; 150 schools were chosen from 400 applications. Of the 150 schools participating, 110 are primary, 30 post primary, 7 special schools and 3 Youthreach centres. 38 DEIS schools were chosen for inclusion in the pilot (30 primary and 8 post-primary).

Each participating school will have access to Creative Associates who are essential in embedding inspirational and sustainable creative practices in teaching and learning. Creative Associates are a mixture of practising artists and teachers with an understanding of creativity and its potential to transform the lives of children and young people.

Participating schools, working with their Creative Associate, are completing the development of a school development plan for arts and creativity and implementing these plans. The Creative Associates will explore new links for schools with artists and with arts and cultural organisations, both locally and nationally, to help develop their plan. To assist this, each participating school will be awarded €2,000 for implementation of their plan.

The Creative Youth Plan is ambitious and ever developing. I hope that by 2022, it will have touched the lives of every child and young person in Ireland. Plans for Creative Schools in 2019 will be announced shortly.