Educational disadvantage” in the Education Act (1998) is defined as:

Alleviating and preventing educational disadvantage is a policy priority for the Department of Education and Science.  A number of measures are in place to develop and implement Departmental policy which aims to address educational disadvantage, promote equality and social inclusion as follows:

DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools

In May, 2005 the Minister for Education and Science introduced a comprehensive programme to address educational disadvantage in primary and second level schools.  DEIS  - Delivering Equality of Educational Opportunity in Schools.  The following is an extract from the executive summary of DEIS Action Plan.  The full text can be downloaded from the Departmental website under the Social Inclusion section. http://www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?pcategory=17216&ecategory=34263&language=EN 

The Action Plan – An Overview

The aim of this action plan is to ensure that the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities are prioritised and effectively addressed. Its core elements comprise:-

• a standardised system for identifying, and regularly reviewing, levels of disadvantage
• a new integrated School Support Programme (SSP) which will bring together, and build upon, existing interventions for schools and school clusters/communities with a concentrated level of educational disadvantage. The differences between urban and rural disadvantage will be taken into account in targeting actions under the programme.

A broad indication of the number of schools that will be included in the SSP is as follows:

Primary	Second-Level
600 schools comprising: - 300 urban/town - 300 rural	150 schools

In addition, supports will continue to be provided for schools where the level of disadvantage is more dispersed. 

The action plan will be implemented on a phased basis over five years and will involve an additional annual investment of some €40m on full implementation. It will also involve the creation of about 300 additional posts across the education system generally.

The following existing schemes and programmes will be integrated into the SSP on a phased basis over the five year implementation period:

• Early Start
• Giving Children an Even Break (incorporating the primary Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and Breaking the Cycle)
• the Support Teacher Project (primary level)
• aspects of the Early Literacy Initiative, including the Reading Recovery initiative and the Junior Certificate School Programme Literacy Strategy and Demonstration Library Project
• the Home/School/Community Liaison Scheme
• the School Completion Programme (which is being funded under the National Development Plan with assistance from the European Social Fund)
• the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme for second-level schools and related projects in second-level schools supporting access to third-level.

The primary and second-level School Books Grant Schemes will continue to operate as before but will take account of the identification process being introduced by this action plan and targeted additional funding will be made available under the schemes to schools participating in the SSP.

Key Measures to be Implemented

The arrangements for the first phase of implementation, which runs to the end of the school year 2005/2006 and those envisaged for the second phase, which runs to the end of the school year 2006/2007.

The following key measures will be implemented over the five-year timescale:

• there will be a new initiative on early education provision for the most disadvantaged urban/town communities
• existing measures for addressing educational disadvantage will be integrated and streamlined. Additional financial supports will be provided to schools through the SSP. The Home/School/Community Liaison (HSCL) and School Completion Programme services will be extended during Phases 1 and 2 to all urban/town primary schools and second-level schools participating in the SSP and not already benefiting from these services. Integration of both the HSCL Scheme and the School Completion Programme into the SSP framework will be effected over the five-year implementation timeframe
• the 150 urban/town primary schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantage will be targeted to benefit from maximum class sizes of 20:1 in junior classes (infants through second-class) and 24:1 in senior classes (third through sixth-class)
• rural primary schools participating in the SSP will be targeted to benefit from access to a teacher/co-ordinator serving a cluster of schools, where not already in place through the Giving Children an Even Break programme. Rural primary schools that cannot be clustered will be provided with financial support as an alternative to teacher/co-ordinator support
• targeted measures will be implemented to tackle problems of literacy and numeracy, with particular reference to family literacy, early education, primary and second-level education and the role of the local authority library system. School library and librarian support will be extended, on a phased basis, to the 50 second-level schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantage
• measures will be implemented to enhance student attendance, educational progression, retention and attainment. Enhanced guidance counselling provision, targeted at supporting junior cycle students, will be provided in second-level schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantage
• greater curricular choice will be promoted
• the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) will be expanded
• increased access to third-level for students from disadvantaged backgrounds will be promoted, in co-operation with the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education
• measures will be put in place to support the recruitment and retention of principals and teaching staff in schools serving disadvantaged communities, with particular reference to the following:

-   In urban/town primary schools participating in the SSP will, on a phased basis, be allocated administrative principals on lower enrolment and staffing figures than those applying in primary schools generally.

-   A sabbatical leave scheme will be introduced to create opportunities for principals and teachers who have served for a defined period in schools participating in the SSP, to apply to undertake a period of development to enhance their own learning and effectiveness, and to bring subsequent benefits to their students and their school. Access to this scheme, which will provide for about 50 sabbaticals annually, will be extended to all SSP schools on a phased basis.

-   Planning at both individual school and school cluster/community level under the SSP will include target-setting and ongoing review processes. A planning template and a common set of indicators will be developed on a partnership basis to facilitate progress reporting on the implementation of school action plans which will operate on a three-year cyclical basis.

-   Professional development for principals, teachers and other personnel in schools participating in the SSP will be enhanced, with both pre-service and in-service professional development being addressed.

-   There will be a renewed focus on integration of services and partnership working. Through the development of its network of ten regional offices, the Department of Education and Science will have increased capacity to work in partnership with locally based agencies and bodies in promoting social inclusion measures.

-   The Department will liaise with existing networking structures for school principals at both national and local level, with particular reference to discussion of the planning and professional development measures proposed in this action plan and exploring opportunities for integration of services.

-   Research and evaluation are central to effective policy making and implementation. An in-depth programme of both research and evaluation will be implemented to inform policy formation on educational inclusion issues on an ongoing basis.

Summary of Departmental Initiatives

The Department’s strategy to address educational disadvantage is integrated across a number of policy areas.  A comprehensive statement of these areas is contained in the Departmental document entitled “Summary of All Initiatives Funded by the Department to Help Alleviate Educational Disadvantage”.  While many of these initiatives are now incorporated into DEIS, the following provides factual information on the delivery of schemes.

Early School Leavers

Early school leavers include those students who leave school before sitting the Junior Certificate examination, who sit the Junior Certificate but who fail to reach a minimum standard or who fail to complete a Senior Cycle programme. Currently, it includes 17% of the student cohort. The major programme for students at risk of early school leaving was the School Completion Project. This project was introduced in 2001 and is now incorporated into the DEIS (the gaelic word for “opportunity”) Programme.  The Project is currently located in the Curriculum Development Unit, Sundrive Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12. Contact the Director at aidan.savage(at)cdu.cdvec.ie

Youthreach Scheme

The Youthreach Scheme is aimed at providing alternative education, training and work experience to early school leavers. The scheme is administered by the Vocational Education Committees. Referral networks between Youthreach Centres and local agencies provide a range of supports to these young people. At present, Youthreach is provided in 130 centres to over 7,162 students. www.youthreach.ie

The Home School Community Liaison Scheme

This Scheme commenced in September 1990 and was extended to all, what are referred to as, designated disadvantaged schools in 1999. Home School Community Liaison teachers were also allocated to post-primary schools into which primary schools in the scheme feed. There are currently (July 2005) 193 second level schools with a Home School Community Co-ordinator on an ex-quota basis. The Co-ordinator works primarily with parents to enable them to promote their children’s participation in school and to reduce the risk of early school leaving. Their role in the school is varied and aims to support a whole-school approach to the needs of disadvantaged students. The National Co-ordinator of the Scheme is Ms Concepta Conaty, Department of Education and Science, Marlborough Street, Dublin 1. Email concepta_conaty(at)education.gov.ie. An Assistant National Co-ordinator is also employed.

Teachers eligible for the post of Home School Community Co-ordinator must be fully qualified permanent members of staff. The successful applicant is deployed to full-time liaison duties in the school

(i)   through the deployment of half of the school’s disadvantaged post and the addition of a further half-post by the Department, or

(ii)   through the assignment of an additional dedicated liaison post in the case of schools which do not have a ‘disadvantage’ post.

Disadvantaged Areas School Scheme

This Scheme commenced in 1984 and is aimed at providing additional funding and teaching resources to designated disadvantaged schools. Schools submit information on the socio-economic profile of the school population. Under the Scheme, schools receive:

• An improved pupil:teacher ratio of 16:1 for schools which meet defined criteria
• An additional per capita grant of €38.1 per pupil
• An additional teaching post and an additional 0.5 of a Home School Co-ordinator post
• Enhanced allocation under the Book Rental Scheme
• Finance Act 1998 provides for tax relief for individual and corporate donations to designated disadvantaged schools

Schools currently in this Scheme will retain these allocations.  Future interventions to tackle educational disadvantage at second level will be delivered through DEIS.

Book Rental Scheme

School Books for Needy Pupils Grants Scheme provides grants towards the purchase of textbooks for needy pupils.

Special Educational Needs

The Education Act, 1998 aims to “make provisions for the …education of every person in the State, including any person with a disability or a special educational need..”. Specifically, Sections 6, 7 and 21 refer to the rights of students with special educational needs to education whether in mainstream schools or in separate settings.

National Educational Psychological Service

The National Educational Psychological Service was established in 1999 as an administrative agency of the Department of Education and Science. The service is available to all second level students and is organised on a geographical basis broadly similar to that of the Health Boards with whom there is close liaison. Recruitment of educational psychologists is ongoing to ensure an adequate service to all schools. The service provided includes assessment of individual students, providing advice to teachers and schools on appropriate supports and working with schools to promote student well-being and good mental health. It is estimated that at any given time 11% of the student population falls under the broad spectrum of having special educational needs.

Contact: NEPS, Frederick Court, 24 – 27 North Frederick Street, Dublin 1, Tel: 01 – 8892700, email neps(at)educ.irlgov.ie.

Pending the recruitment of additional staff to the National Educational Psychological Service, a Scheme for the Commissioning of Private Psychological Assessments is in place which allows schools to purchase assessments from private psychologists whose names are on a panel of NEPS. At present, a maximum of two individual psychological assessments for every 100 students. Information on the Scheme is available from NEPS.

Learning Support Service

The Learning Support Service, formerly the Remedial Education service, provides support for children experiencing difficulties in the areas of literacy and numeracy. Since 1999/2000, all second level schools in Free Education Scheme are automatically entitled to an ex-quota Learning Support allocation. The allocation is based on enrolment in the school. Schools with an enrolment of 600 or more students are allocated a full-time post; schools with enrolment below 600 are allocated .5 of a post. Schools allocated an ex-quota post for Learning Support prior to 1999 are entitled to keep this allocation. In 2001/2002, the total allocation of Learning Support to schools was 560 whole-time teacher equivalents.

Since 1994, a national programme of training for Learning Support teachers is in place. These courses are provided in Colleges of Education and are financially supported by the In-Career Development Unit of the Department of Education and Science.

Resource Teachers

Resource teachers are allocated to schools where students have special educational needs arising from a disability and who are integrated into mainstream schools. Such students have been formally assessed as having special educational needs. At present, guidelines are being developed by the Department of Education and Science on the role and range of responsibilities of Resource Teachers in second level schools. Broadly, the duties of a Resource Teacher include:

• assessing and recording child needs and progress;
• setting specific, time-related targets for each child and agreeing these with the class teacher and Principal;
• direct teaching of the children, either in a separate room or within the mainstream class;
• team-teaching – so long as the children concerned are deriving benefit from it;
• advising class teachers in regard to adapting the curriculum, teaching strategies, suitable textbooks, use of Information Technology and suitable software and a range of other related matters;
• meeting and advising parents, when necessary, accompanied by the class teacher, as necessary;
• short meetings with other relevant professionals, in the children’s interest, e.g. psychologists, speech and language therapists, visiting teachers, special school or special class teachers.

Examination Arrangements

The Department of Education and Science provides a range of “accommodations” to students who have disabilities and who are sitting the Certificate examinations. Depending on the circumstances in each case, students may have examination papers read to them, may tape their answers on audio-tape, may type their answers on a computer, or may be granted a waiver in relation to the assessment of spelling and grammar in language subjects. The school Principal makes a submission on behalf of the student to the Department.

Special Needs Assistants

The Department of Education and Science is currently preparing guidelines for deployment of Special Needs Assistants in second level schools. SNAs are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with special educational needs. These students include students with disabilities, including students with emotional and behavioural problems. The SNA is allocated to the student and not the school. However, it is the school which makes the application on behalf of the student.  http://www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?pcategory=11505&ecategory=11505&language=EN

Grants to Schools for Assistive Technology and Other Facilities

Department circular letter M11/95 provides details of grants towards the Purchase of Equipment for Pupils with a Disability. Such equipment includes computer hardware and software, tape recorders, Braille equipment, etc.