Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 10 Jun 2003

Vol. 568 No. 1

Written Answers. - Educational Programmes.

Richard Bruton

Question:

120 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has been withdrawing support under the Giving Children an Even Break scheme from schools on Dublin's northside; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15570/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

All schools participating in this programme are receiving allocations in proportion to their level of disadvantage and the size of their enrolment.

Giving Children an Even Break is a three year programme to tackle educational disadvantage at primary level and subsumes the previous process of designation of schools that serve areas of educational disadvantage. My Department's approach is now refined to ensure that individual at risk pupils are targeted. Rather than the old method of designating additional schools, my Department now provides support that is commensurate with the levels of concentration in schools of pupils with characteristics that are associated with educational disadvantage and early school leaving.

A total of 2,350 schools are participating in Giving Children an Even Break and are in receipt of a range of additional supports including teacher posts and other non-teaching supports to be targeted at disadvantaged pupils. The levels of disadvantage were established as a result of a comprehensive survey of primary schools carried out by the Educational Research Centre, ERC, in March-April 2000 at my Department's request. All primary schools were invited to complete the survey questionnaire and over 75% of primary schools participated and returned completed survey forms to the ERC.

Any school in which there was at least one pupil which satisfied any of the criteria associated with socio-economic disadvantage was entitled to additional resources under Giving Children an Even Break. Resources are allocated to schools on a sliding scale, and schools with greater proportions of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are allocated proportionately more resources than those with fewer numbers of such pupils.

Every participating school is entitled to a special €63.49per capita grant in respect of the percentage of pupils with disadvantaged characteristics and schools receive a minimum of €952.30 per annum. Schools categorised as urban in Giving Children an Even Break with the highest concentrations of at risk pupils are being supported, where necessary, through staff allocations to implement reduced pupil/teacher ratios of 20:1 in junior classes, infants through second class, and 27:1 in senior classes, third through sixth class. In line with normal staffing arrangements for national schools, teacher post allocations for the purpose of Giving Children An Even Break in respect of the 2003-04 school year will be determined by reference to enrolments in junior and senior classes at 30 September 2002.

I assure the Deputy that tackling educational disadvantage is a key priority of my Department.