Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 February 2005
507 Ms O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science if she will consider introducing a system of transfer from primary to post-primary school similar to that now in place in Limerick to ensure that all children secure a place in a post-primary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5110/05]
View answerThe CAO-type application system for post-primary schools in Limerick city is a system which was agreed between the managements of the 15 post-primary schools in the city. It is operated by the Limerick city education centre as a co-ordinated facility for those schools for the forthcoming school year. My Department has no role in the design or operation of the system. The system was put in place to address the difficulties which were experienced last year by some children in the city in accessing places in post-primary schools in the city. I have no plans to introduce a similar system in other locations.
My Department has a number of support services and programmes in place to ensure that children successfully transfer from primary to post-primary. These include the National Educational Welfare Board, the home-school-community liaison service and the school completion programme. My Department is completing analysis work on the development of a primary pupils database which will provide accurate and comprehensive data on pupil transfer in the future.
508 Ms O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of children who did not transfer from primary to post-primary school in 2004; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5111/05]
View answerThe specific information requested by the Deputy is not available at present. The National Economic and Social Forum report of 2002 on early school leaving cited, as a broad estimate, that around 1,000 children do not transfer from primary to post-primary on an annual basis. There is some doubt attaching to this estimated figure of 1,000 which may be an over-statement of the true position at this stage. My Department is engaged in analysis work on the development of a primary pupils database. This is a significant and complex project which will, in time, facilitate the collation of much more accurate and comprehensive data on transfer rates.
My Department operates a number of programmes at both primary and post-primary level to tackle the problem of early school leaving. The Giving Children an Even Break programme provides additional financial and teaching supports for children in primary schools who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and are most at risk of educational disadvantage and early school leaving.
A key role in this regard is also played by the home-school-community liaison scheme which was extended to each of the 312 designated disadvantaged primary schools in the country. This scheme helps parents to develop their skills as the primary educators of their children and also addresses issues in the community impinging on learning and educational participation. The school completion programme has been implemented to target directly those in danger of dropping out of the education system and is a key component of my Department's strategy to discriminate positively in favour of children and young people who are at risk of early school leaving. The programme is based on an integrated cross-community approach to tackling educational disadvantage, involving 82 projects, 300 primary and 112 post-primary schools, parents, communities and relevant statutory and voluntary agencies. It entails targeting individual young people of school-going age, both in and out of school, and arranging supports to address inequalities in education access, participation and outcomes. Both the HSCL scheme and all 82 school completion programme projects operate transfer programmes which are very important in assisting pupils in making the transition from primary to post-primary level.
The Education Welfare Act 2000 and the establishment of the National Educational Welfare Board provides a comprehensive framework for promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. To discharge its responsibilities, the board is developing a nationwide service to provide welfare-focused services to children, families and schools. The board has an authorised staffing complement of 94.
