My Department provides a number of policies and programmes which are supportive of homework clubs for students at risk of educational disadvantage.
All DEIS schools receive an additional DEIS grant which is to be used to support the implementation of the schools’ DEIS Action Plan for Improvement. This Plan sets targets under key themes, such as attendance, retention, progression, literacy and numeracy, partnership, transition, wellbeing and examination attainment (post-primary only). A key focus of these themes is that they are targeted at those students most at risk of educational disadvantage. It is a matter for the school Board of Management to allocate DEIS grant funding so that it targets those students deemed most in need which can include afterschool activities.
The School Completion Programme (SCP) is a key support under my Department’s Delivering Equality of Opportunity in School (DEIS) programme. Tusla is responsible for the operational management and delivery of SCP.
In relation to the school in question, I am informed by Tusla that the SCP Local Management Committee is currently planning the suite of service provision, to ensure that all of the available SCP resource is maximised to support students in relation to school attendance, participation and retention across all schools in this SCP cluster. These interventions and supports may include afterschool clubs, which are allowable under the SCP funding.
