Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In line with actions under the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS), a pilot project, Supporting Traveller and Roma (STAR) in education, was established and rolled out incrementally from September 2019 in specific Traveller and Roma communities regionally, with the aim of addressing the barriers impacting on Traveller and Roma attendance, participation and retention in education. There are four pilot sites in Galway (Tuam), Wexford, Dublin and Cork.

Stakeholders in the project include my Department, Tusla Educational Support Service (TESS), the Department of Children, Equality Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), and Traveller and Roma representative bodies. Based on data available in areas with large Traveller and Roma populations, the locations for the pilot were identified and agreed by the relevant departments and stakeholders.

My Department and DCEDIY fund the pilot project jointly. My Department provides funding for the Education Welfare Officer (EWO) and Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) supports in the project, while DCEDIY funds the Traveller and Roma education workers. The cost of the pilot project is around €1.1 million per year.

The pilot project was initially set up for a two-year period. It has been extended twice, most recently to June 2024, recognising, among other things, the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 and the commitment to an independent evaluation of the pilot project.

It is intended that learnings from the pilot project will inform the development of future Traveller and Roma education policy, including the Traveller and Roma Education Strategy, which my Department is currently developing. My Department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the STAR pilot project which is being carried out by the Centre for Effective Services. The evaluation is being supported through a Research Advisory Group including representatives from the Traveller and Roma organisations. The report, when complete, will provide evidence and inform the development of the Traveller and Roma Education Strategy which is due to be finalised in June 2024.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential.

Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my Department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level in a targeted and equitable way across the primary and post-primary sector.

In March last year, I announced the single largest expansion of the DEIS programme. This benefited 361 schools. The programme now includes in the region of 1,200 schools and supports approximately 240,000 students. 1 in 4 students and 30% of schools are now supported in the programme.

This expansion added an additional €32million to my Department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the overall Department of Education allocation for the programme to €180million.

The Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme is one of a range of resources allocated under the DEIS school support programme. Currently, all DEIS Urban Primary and Post Primary schools are included in the HSCL scheme, which serves 687 DEIS schools. The scheme is delivered by 528 full-time HSCL Coordinators, who are teachers in these schools and assigned to HSCL duties either in individual schools or in clusters of schools, catering for approximately 207,000 pupils.

My Department is continuing to undertake work towards achieving its vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. It also recognises that we need to target resources to those schools who need them most. To support this work my Department have invited the OECD Strength Through Diversity: Education for Inclusive Societies Project to review the current policy approach for the allocation of resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage in Ireland. This review will provide an independent expert opinion on the current resource allocation model for the DEIS programme and, drawing on international examples, inform a policy approach for an equitable distribution of supplementary resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage attending all schools, both DEIS and non-DEIS. The OECD are engaging with a range of relevant stakeholders to inform the review process as well as drawing on international examples. The OECD estimates that the review will be completed in Q2 2024.

The OECD review is being complimented by a programme of work by my Department, which will look at reviewing individual resources and allocation approaches. This work is currently underway and includes the HSCL scheme within its scope. This work will involve consultation with a range of relevant stakeholders. It will also seek to ensure that schools are supported to ensure every child has an equal opportunity to achieve their potential.