The School Completion Programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to generally improve the school attendance, participation and retention of young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage. The programme is a targeted intervention aimed at school communities identified through the Department of Education and Skills’ DEIS Action Plan for Educational Inclusion. It provides targeted supports annually to approximately 37,000 children. There are 470 primary and 224 post-primary schools, a total of 694 covered by the Programme nationally.
Since 1st January 2014, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, under the remit of my Department, has operational responsibility for the School Completion Programme, including the allocation of funds to local projects. The Agency has confirmed that the cost of funding the School Completion Programme this year is €24.756m and that there has been no cut in funding in 2016.