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Disadvantaged Status.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 October 2004

Wednesday, 13 October 2004

Ceisteanna (128, 129)

Paul Kehoe

Ceist:

129 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the criteria used for assessing whether a primary school qualifies for disadvantaged status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24772/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Paul Kehoe

Ceist:

130 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a school (details supplied) in County Wexford was not offered disadvantaged status despite being considered in the McCarthy report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24773/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 130 together.

Giving Children an Even Break subsumes the previous process of designation of schools that serve areas of educational disadvantage and my Department's approach is now refined to ensure that individual "at risk" pupils are targeted. Rather than the old method of designating additional schools, my Department now provides support that is commensurate with the levels of concentration in schools of pupils with characteristics that are associated with educational disadvantage and early school leaving.

Primary schools participating in Giving Children an Even Break are in receipt of a range of additional supports, including teacher posts and other non-teaching supports to be targeted at disadvantaged pupils. The additional supports provided reflect the level of concentration of pupils from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds in each school invited to participate in the programme. These levels of disadvantage were established as a result of a comprehensive survey of primary schools carried out by the Educational Research Centre, ERC, in March-April 2000 at the request of my Department.

Resources are allocated to schools on a sliding scale and schools with greater proportions of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are allocated proportionally more resources than those with fewer numbers of such pupils. Every participating school is entitled to a special €63.49per capita grant in respect of the percentage of pupils with disadvantaged characteristics and schools receive a minimum of €952.30 per annum.

Schools categorised as urban in Giving Children an Even Break with the highest concentrations of at risk pupils are supported, where necessary, through staff allocations to implement reduced pupil-teacher ratios of 20:1 in junior classes, infants through second class, and 27:1 in senior classes, third through sixth class.

The school referred to by the Deputy is included in the urban dimension of Giving Children an Even Break. The school benefits from supplementary funding to provide additional educational supports for the children concerned. It 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.

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