John Browne
Question:276 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress made by a school (details supplied) in County Carlow on the application for disadvantaged status. [32193/01]
Written Answers. - Disadvantaged Status.
The Deputy may be aware of the major new programme, Giving Children an Even Break by Tackling Disadvantage, which I launched in January to deal with educational disadvantage in primary schools. The programme will be run over a three year period and will cost £26 million. It 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 to second class, and a ratio of 29:1 in senior classes, that is third class through to sixth class.
The school in question has been included in the urban dimension and has received supplementary grant aid of £4,543 in respect of the 2000-2001 school year. It is eligible to receive £4,842 in respect of the 2001-2002 school year towards providing additional educational supports for the pupils concerned. 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 ERC survey outcome.