Calleary highlights plight of merged schools in Achill

A simple case of “bureaucracy gone mad” and, in so doing, affected the chances of the approximately 450 students of Coláiste Pobail Acla, Mayo Fianna Fáil Deputy Dara Calleary told the Dáil.

This school, he said, is the product of an amalgamation in 2011 of McHale College, Achill, which had 450 students and Scoil Damhnait, which had far fewer students. “It is a fantastic school and is the only secondary school on Achill Island,” he said. “However, prior to the merger, McHale College, the bigger school with more than 450 students, had been designated as a Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, school and therefore had the important advantages and supports that go with such a designation in respect of this successful scheme. After the merger, the DEIS status was removed and while the transitional supports for a DEIS school that is moving were put in place for the Leaving Certificate cohort of students, that transition has now come to an end. Nothing changed about the profile of the students or the economic position in the area, which had worsened considerably.”

Deputy Calleary said all that changed was the name over the door and the roll number on the Department's roll, which appears to be where the difficulty lies. “As no new DEIS status has been issued since 2006, the putting in place of a new roll number meant that DEIS status could not be extended to the new school, which I reiterate was the amalgamation of two existing schools,” he said. “Mayo VEC, which had been the patron of McHale College, gave guarantees that DEIS status would be retained on the basis of assurances from the Department of Education and Skills. However, it was confirmed in July 2014, through the Higher Education Access Route, HEAR, programme, that the new entity was not in fact a DEIS school and was not entitled to the DEIS supports. When I questioned the Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, late last year in this regard, she confirmed this and stated the transitional supports would be in place for six years.”

This, he said, is a crazy situation for a school with 450 students that had DEIS status but which merged, in the interests of educational opportunity, with a school that on its closing day had 30 pupils.

In response, Minister of State Damien English said in line with current policy on all such amalgamations, the new school in question was not designated a DEIS school. Also in line with policy dating back many years, the new school receives certain additional DEIS programme supports in respect of the number of eligible pupils from the former DEIS school.

“These supports will continue until that pupil cohort has left the school,” he said. “The Deputy referred to a term of six years, but they will continue until the relevant pupils have left the school. The Minister has addressed the issues raised in respect of the school in numerous parliamentary questions, while officials of my Department have also engaged in direct correspondence to clarify my Department's position on the matter. I clarify again that on no occasion was any assurance given by my Department to the school that it would be included in the DEIS programme following the amalgamation.”