Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 1 May 2001

Vol. 535 No. 1

Written Answers - Disadvantaged Status.

Jack Wall

Ceist:

685 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools in County Kildare which have sought re-assessment of their applications for disadvantage funding under the recently announced scheme; the result of the assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12297/01]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

The Deputy is referring to the new programme, Giving Children An Even Break, which I announced in January last to deal with educational disadvantage in primary schools. The new programme will be run over a three-year period and will cost some £26 million. The programme involves the creation of over 200 new primary teaching posts and the allocation of cash grants to primary schools in respect of disadvantaged pupils.

The schools targeted under the programme were identified through a comprehensive and objective survey of all primary schools carried out in March-April 2000 by the Educational Research Centre, Drumcondra, on my Department's behalf. Over 2,300 primary schools are eligible for assistance, based on the levels of concentration of disadvantaged pupils identified in schools through this survey. Details of the schools eligible for assistance under the programme have been published.

Where schools expressed concern about the outcome of the survey in respect of their school, they were advised to make representations to my Department outlining their circumstances. Schools were informed that these representations would then be examined by the Educational Research Centre to ascertain whether their situation warranted a review. To date, five schools in County Kildare have sent written submissions to my Department requesting that their allocations made under the new programme be reviewed. These submissions are being considered at present and when the results of this process are available, the schools will be informed of the result.