The school referred to by the Deputy is recognised by my Department as a school serving a disadvantaged area and, as such, has an additional concessionary teaching post and receives additional capitation funding at the rate of £17 per pupil.
As stated in my recent announcement on the 1994 Education budget, I propose to allocate fifteen additional co-ordinator posts to the home school community liaison service at primary level with effect from September next.
These extra posts will facilitate a significant expansion of the service and the schools to be targeted will be selected from among those already included in the disadvantaged areas scheme.
The process of selecting schools for inclusion in the expanded home school community liaison service is currently under way in my Department and the needs of the school in question will be considered in this context.
Plans for the establishment of a preschool programme are well advanced in my Department and a decision on the areas selected for inclusion will be taken shortly.
The initial phase of the programme will involve the establishment of eight preschool projects. It is my intention that these projects will be located in areas of particular disadvantage and that they will make use of a developmental approach to the needs of very young children, with qualified teachers, and the active co-operation of parents.