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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 11 Feb 2003

Vol. 561 No. 1

Written Answers. - Early School Leavers.

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

258 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the out of school setting and education in a third place initiatives at second level in respect of the problem of early school leavers and problem pupils; the number of such initiatives being funded or assisted by his Department; the geographical distribution of these initiatives; the amount of funding allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3234/03]

My Department's policy in relation to the retention of young people who are at risk of early school leaving is to support young people in school and to support schools to adapt to the needs of the young people experiencing difficulties. It also involves the development of a range of appropriate interventions in the community to support pupils, who are still of compulsory school going age and are outside the formal school system, with a view to supporting their progression over time back to mainstream education.

In 2002 my Department introduced the school completion programme, SCP, which is a new and expanded programme to deal with early school leaving. The school completion programme incorporates the elements of best practice established by the eight to 15 year old early school leaver initiative, ESLI, and the stay-in-school retention initiative at second level, SSRI, the pilot phases of which came to an end in August and July 2002, respectively.
The objective of the school completion programme is to provide a range of interventions in areas of disadvantage that support the retention of young people in education. It is based on an integrated approach involving primary and post-primary schools, parents, communities and relevant statutory and voluntary agencies. Some 82 project sites in 21 counties involving approximately 109 post-primary schools and 295 primary schools have been selected to participate in the project strand of the school completion programme over the next three years. Selection of project sites for the expansion of the programme was based on detailed analysis of pupil retention rates at second level using the Department's post-primary pupils database. This analysis also identified the main feeder primary schools for each project. Some 53 SSRI schools, which were not selected for inclusion in the project strand, will continue to be funded under the stay in school retention strand of the programme over the next three years up to 31 August 2005.
Significant additional funding was made available under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 with the assistance from the ESF Fund for the expansion of these initiatives. Some €22.428 million was allocated to the school completion programme in 2002. In addition, there are five youth encounter projects, three in Dublin and one each in Cork and Limerick, which are supported by my Department to provide educational facilities for young people aged between ten to 15 years who have become alienated from the conventional mainstream education system. Many of the pupils are persistent truants and have become, or are at risk of becoming, involved in minor crime and delinquency. The primary objective of the youth encounter projects is to rehabilitate the pupils and to return them to mainstream education in the shortest time possible. The projects liaise closely with specified schools in their catchment areas involving schools at primary and post-primary level. A total of €776,000 was allocated in 2002 to the youth encounter projects.
My Department also supports youthreach, which is a programme of second chance education for young people in the 15-20 age group who have left school early with minimal or no qualifications. Some 3,000 places have been approved in the education sector through the VECs and this is complemented by places funded by FÁS in community training workshops and in mainline FÁS training centres. The youthreach programme in the education sector cost €39.5 million in 2002. There are over 80 youthreach centres located throughout the country.

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

259 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has examined or has had examined the needs of under 15s in second level education with specific reference to tackling early school leaving and related problems including expulsions; the alternative educational provision in respect of such young people here; the alternative educational provision as provided for in respect of such young people in other countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3235/03]

Early school leaving is the most significant cause of keeping people caught in cycles of disadvantage and is a key indicator for subsequent difficulties including long-term unemployment, homelessness, substance abuse and criminal activity. Tackling the problem of early school leaving is a key priority of this Government and requires movement on a number of fronts, including legislative and curricular reforms and preventative interventions.

My Department's strategies to tackle the problem of early school leaving have included widening the educational experience available to students, which aim to achieve a greater level of inclusiveness in curricular provision and meet the needs of the diversity of pupils in our second level schools, by expanding funding for programmes such as the junior certificate schools programme, JCSP, the leaving certificate vocational programme, LCVP, vocational preparation training, LPT and the leaving certificate applied, LCA.

Following on from studies in England, Scotland, Canada, USA and Holland into early school leaving and educational disadvantage and the 1997 report of the National Economic and Social Forum, the eight to 15 early school leaver initiative was introduced. The purpose of this initiative was to pilot and evaluate a range of structured pilot projects in urban and rural disadvantaged areas which test models for the development of an integrated area based co-ordination of services for young people at risk of early school leaving. In September 1998, 17 specific projects in 14 areas commenced.

My Department has now expanded and assimilated schemes directly targeting those in danger of dropping out of the education system. A new programme, called the school completion programme builds on two earlier schemes, the early school leaver initiative and the stay in school retention initiative. The school completion programme recognises that a wide variety of home, community and school-based factors can contribute to low school attainment and early school leaving and consequently, strategies designed to address the needs of young people at risk of early school leaving must include a range of actions that impinge on these aspects of young people's lives; these strategies must therefore be holistic and child-centred by nature. Some 82 project sites in 21 counties involving both primary and post-primary schools have been selected to participate in the project strand of the school completion programme. Selection of project sites for the expansion of the programme was based on detailed analysis of pupil retention rates at second level using the Department's post-primary pupil database. The selection of schools to participate has been based on overall enrolment figures and the number of pupils failing to remain in school up to the completion of the senior cycle with particular emphasis on schools which lose pupils before completion of the junior cycle.
The home school community liaison scheme was commenced in 1991 in second level schools situated in urban areas affected by significant social and economic disadvantage. The scheme enables schools to allocate a teacher full time to home school community liaison activities. It aims at the promotion of active co-operation between home, school and relevant community agencies in advancing the educational interests of the children. Since its inception, the scheme has been extended significantly. In 1999, the scheme was extended to second level disadvantaged schools.
The Education Welfare Act 2000 and the establishment of the National Educational Welfare Board is also an important plank in the campaign to keep students at school. The focus is on a welfare approach, with a clearly set out recording and reporting system, rather than the old style prosecutorial system. The educational welfare officers employed by the board will be deployed to assist all recognised primary and post-primary schools. The Act requires schools to report suspensions that last at least six days to the educational welfare officer. The automatic involvement of the educational welfare officer in these situations will provide a key means for the early identification and support of children at risk of dropping out of the school system.
In addition, there are five youth encounter projects, three in Dublin and one each in Cork and Limerick, which are supported by my Department to provide educational facilities for young people aged between ten to 15 years who have become alienated from the conventional mainstream education system. Many of the pupils are persistent truants and have become, or are at risk of becoming, involved in minor crime and delinquency. The primary objective of the youth encounter projects is to rehabilitate the pupils and to return them to mainstream education in the shortest time possible. The projects liaise closely with specified schools in their catchment areas involving schools at primary and postprimary level. I believe that the my Department's strategies in this area should lead to more and more young people staying on and completing second level education and, in that way, most effectively assist in redressing early school leaving, together with the integrated services approach which will help to support young people at risk in their school, home and community.

John Bruton

Question:

260 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science his plans to provide funding for parents whose children undertake the training course given by Dyslexia at Bay whereby parents are taught to assist their children each evening for 28 days; if his Department has met with representatives of Dyslexia at Bay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3236/03]

The role of my Department, through its in-career development unit, does not extend to the provision of training for parents in the circumstances referred to in this question.

However, the in-career development unit does provide additional training for teachers involved in the special provision which my Department makes for children diagnosed as having dyslexia.

John Bruton

Question:

261 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason only those children suffering with dyslexia, who come within the 0-2% range of requiring assistance, can be eligible for assistance from a resource teacher; if additional resource teachers will be provided for County Meath; the number of resource teachers who are currently teaching students in Meath; the number of students being taught by resource teachers; the number of remedial teachers currently allocated to Meath schools; the number of students the remedial teachers teach; the number of remedial teachers currently being trained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3237/03]

Children with dyslexia who are attending primary schools on an integrated basis can be supported by the learning support teacher service or the resource teacher service. In many cases, the level of need will be such as to be capable of being addressed by the learning support teacher service. At present, there are 1,531 learning support teachers in the primary system. In more serious cases, the support of the special resource teacher service may be required. At present there are approximately 2,300 resource teachers in the primary system. In all cases, the model and level of support made available is based on the professionally assessed needs of the individual child and reflects the recommendations of the special education review committee which estimated that not more than 2% of the overall pupil population would be found to fall into this category.

All children with special needs in the primary system, including children with dyslexia, have an automatic entitlement to a response to their needs, irrespective of their level of need or location. The model and level of support provided is based on the professionally assessed needs of the individual child. All primary schools have been advised of the procedures to be followed in seeking resource teacher support for children with special needs. Applications for such support are responded to on a term basis.

At present, there are approximately 62 full-time resource teacher posts and 44 full-time learning support teacher posts in place in schools in County Meath. Precise details of the number of pupils being catered for by these teachers are not readily available. However, as a general rule it would be expected that learning support teachers would have an average case-load of 30 pupils and that the case-loads of resource teachers would not exceed 12 pupils. The numbers of pupils being catered for by individual teaches will vary depending on the level of need involved and whether the posts are devoted to individual schools or shared between schools. In the current academic year 86 primary teachers and 86 post-primary teachers are attending a national programme of training in learning support (formerly remedial education) in six centres in universities and colleges of education.
Guidelines for learning support teachers were issued in 2000. An intensive training programme based on the guidelines is under way and learning support teachers will receive this training. Phase 1 training has been completed. Phase 2 training is being delivered at present.

Paul McGrath

Question:

262 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive payment from the special education section of his Department for ISL tuition in respect of their child for the period 8 October to 18 December 2002, which claim was submitted prior to Christmas 2002. [3238/03]

The person referred to by the Deputy will receive the payment in question within the next few days.

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