Vol. 541 No. 4
491 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Kennedy Park national school, County Wexford, has still not received a response to its second application for disadvantaged status; if he will grant full disadvantaged status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23021/01]
Last January I launched a major new programme, Giving Children An Even Break, to deal with educational disadvantage in primary schools. The new programme will be run over a three year period and will cost some £26 million. The programme involves the creation of 204 new primary teaching posts and the allocation of cash grants to primary schools in respect of disadvantaged pupils.
The schools targeted under the programme were identified through a comprehensive and objective survey of all primary schools carried out in March-April 2000 by the Educational Research Centre, Drumcondra, on my Department's behalf. There are separate urban and rural dimensions to the new programme. Schools categorised as urban with the highest concentrations of at risk pupils will be supported, where necessary, over the three year period through staff allocations to implement a pupil-teacher ratio of 20:1 in the junior classes – infants through second class – and a pupil-teacher ratio of 29:1 in senior classes – third through sixth classes.
The school in question has been included in the urban dimension and has received supplementary grant aid of £8,070 in respect of the 2000-01 school year towards providing additional educational supports for the pupils concerned. The school will also receive additional funding during the current school year. The school was not considered eligible for additional teaching staff, based on the level of concentration of at risk pupils in the schools as reflected in the Educational Research Centre survey outcome.
Where schools expressed concern about the outcome of the survey in respect of their school, they were advised to make representations to my Department outlining their circumstances. Schools were informed that these representations would then be referred to the Educational Research Centre for consideration and my Department would then consider the position of these schools.
In accordance with the approach outlined,
