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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 Nov 2002

Vol. 556 No. 3

Written Answers. - Disadvantaged Status.

Seán Crowe

Ceist:

356 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the repeated requests by the Sisters of Charity, Assumption Senior Girls' School, Walkinstown, Dublin 12, to acquire disadvantaged status for their school; the reason for his Department's refusal to grant such status; if he will reconsider his decision; and his views on whether some of the money cut from his Department's budget in 2002, including funding to help children from disadvantaged areas enter third level, could have been well spent in this school and others like it. [19955/02]

The Deputy is aware of the new programme – Giving Children An Even Break which was launched last year to deal with educational disadvantage in primary schools. 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. There are separate urban and rural dimensions to the programme. Schools categorised as urban with the highest concentrations of at risk pupils are being supported, where necessary, over the three-year period through staff allocations to implement a pupil teacher ratio of 20:1 in the junior classes – infants through second class – and a pupil teacher ratio of 27:1 in senior classes – third through sixth classes.

Schools participating in Giving Children An Even Break are eligible to receive a range of additional supports including teacher posts and financial supports to be targeted at disadvantaged pupils. The additional supports to be provided reflect the level of concentration of pupils from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds in each school invited to participate in the programme.

The school referred to by the Deputy is included in the urban dimension of Giving Children An Even Break. The school is benefiting from supplementary funding to provide additional educational supports for the children concerned. The school was not considered eligible for additional teaching staff, based on the level of concentration of at risk pupils in the school as reflected in the educational research centre survey outcome.

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. These representations, which include the school referred to by the Deputy, were referred to the educational research centre for consideration. My Department has now received a report from the educational research centre and the situation of this school is currently under consideration. The school in question will be informed of the outcome shortly.

With regard to the Deputy's assertion that funding to help children from disadvantaged areas enter third level education has been cut, I would point out that the provision in 2002 for disadvantaged measures at third level is €24 million, which represents a massive increase of 57% on expenditure in 2001 which amounted to €15.3 million. This budget includes provision for the following measures aimed at promoting participation at third level education by students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, by mature students and by students with disabilities: the special rates of maintenance grant for disadvantaged students, usually referred to as "top-up grants"; the fund for students with disabilities; the millennium partnership fund for disadvantage and the student assistance-access fund.
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