Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 May 2017
155. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the details of the new pilot projects for school clusters to test effective interventions and provide evidence for future resourcing proposed under the school support programme. [20950/17]
View answerThe establishment of the School Excellence Fund fulfils an important Programme for Government commitment aimed at promoting excellence and innovation in the school system.
A key element of DEIS Plan 2017 is its focus on a pilot approach to identifying and supporting effective interventions, and exploring how these and further creativity around teaching and learning can make better use of the resources available to schools to achieve good educational outcomes.
To make this happen, DEIS Plan 2017 sets out the arrangements for the establishment of a School Excellence Fund to encourage schools to adopt more creative and innovative approaches to tackling educational disadvantage.
As set out in the DEIS Plan, the Fund will be trialled in a first group of schools during the coming school year, with priority being given to proposals from schools serving the most disadvantaged communities.
Areas of activity to be considered for piloting include:
- Encouraging strategic clustering and networking of schools in acutely disadvantaged areas;
- Leveraging evidence informed good practice in meeting the needs of students at risk of educational disadvantage;
- Promoting collaborative cultures among teachers within schools and between schools, and between schools and early years settings;
- Developing and building on relationships with local community organisations and businesses to support the work of schools;
- Connecting schools with supports and resources tailored to their needs through individualised brokerage and constructive challenging;
- Enhancing school leadership and better equipping teachers to meet the needs of their pupils;
- Improving parental engagement and participation in student learning;
- Supporting transitions across the education continuum.
Work on this is well advanced and I will be in a position to make an announcement on this shortly.
