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Educational Disadvantage

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 May 2021

Thursday, 13 May 2021

Ceisteanna (101)

John Lahart

Ceist:

101. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education the measures in place to support children and young persons who are at risk of the highest levels of educational disadvantage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25058/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) is the main policy initiative of my Department to tackle educational disadvantage at school level. The DEIS Plan sets out the vision for interventions in the critical area of educational disadvantage policy and is based on the findings of an extensive review of the DEIS programme, which involved consultations with all relevant stakeholders.

In the 2020/21 school year the DEIS programme will support over 185,000 pupils across 887 schools (689 primary and 198 post primary). This represents in the region of 20% of the overall school population and includes 79 schools, who had the highest concentrated levels of disadvantage, who were added to the DEIS Programme for the first time from September 2017.

My Department will spend over €150million on supports for schools under the DEIS programme in 2021, which includes over €26 million for the School Completion Programme (SCP). This also includes in the region of €16.2 million which will be provided to schools in the form of a DEIS grant for the 2021/22 school year. In March I announced an improvement in the staffing threshold for all DEIS Urban Band 1 schools. I also announced an increase in the budget of the School Completion Programme and a reduction in the enrolment threshold for the allocation of an additional deputy principal in DEIS post-primary schools, from 700 to 600 students.

The Department’s investment in 2021 also includes providing for;

419 Home School Community Liaison Coordinators serving 539 schools, catering for approximately 156,000 pupils.

Additional posts for DEIS Band 1 primary schools to allow for a reduced pupil teacher ratio.

Curriculum supports

Priority access to continuing professional development

Enhanced school book grants.

Evidence from the evaluation of the DEIS programme to date demonstrates that it is having a positive effect in this effect.

A wide variety of measures are underway to ensure my Department supports Traveller children in having their educational needs met. The model for allocating Special Education Teachers in mainstream schools provides a single allocation for special educational supports based on each school’s educational profile. The model establishes a school’s educational profile, which includes traveller children, enrolled in a school under the following strands:

The number of students with complex special educational needs.

The social context of school which at primary level, one component includes the number of traveller pupils and at post primary schools, is based on the number of pupils who had exam fee exemptions, including Traveller pupils.

Percentages of students performing below a certain threshold on standardised test results which includes schools with pupils from the Traveller community who may be attaining lower standardised test scores.

My Department currently spends €2 billion on making additional provision for children with special educational needs.

This week I announced the provision of expanded summer education programmes for pupils with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage, as a Covid-19 pandemic response measure, for summer 2021.

Under this expansion of the summer programme, students with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage will have access to an enhanced summer programme of education. The total funding available to provide the programme is up to €40 million, a one hundred per cent increase on the allocation for summer provision in 2020.

The programme’s aims are to support pupils to re-engage with education, to build their confidence and increase their motivation, promote well-being and for some who are at key transition stages, help to ensure they can move on to their planned educational placement next September along with their peers.

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