Vol. 526 No. 3
115 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Education and Science the time scale under which the Breaking The Cycle scheme will be extended to all disadvantaged schools; if, in view of the educational research centre's interim report of April 2000, he is concerned that the level of disadvantage in some schools will have seriously deteriorated even further by the time the final report is considered and acted upon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26509/00]
Breaking the Cycle is a five-year pilot project. It began in September 1996 in 33 urban and 123 rural schools that have high concentrations of pupils with characteristics that are associated with educational disadvantage and early school leaving. The operation of the project is being monitored by my Department's inspectorate and is being evaluated by the Educational Research Centre. A key objective of the review process is to establish the appropriateness and effectiveness of the distinct approaches to urban and rural disadvantage, which are being tested under the pilot project. However, it would not be appropriate to make decisions concerning the future of the project on the basis of interim evaluation findings. Such decisions will be made when the project has ended and the evaluation process has been completed.
I have set the tackling of educational disadvantage as a priority and will be bringing forward proposals for a major initiative to address the needs of pupils who are encountering educational disadvantage in primary schools. To this end, I am currently finalising a tailored package of resources for each school with significant concentrations of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. I will be making a further announcement in relation to this matter shortly.
