Tackling disadvantage in primary schools

Information

The Department of Education and Skills has several schemes aimed at tackling educational disadvantage in primary schools. Some of these come within the framework of the Department’s initiative 'Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools' (DEIS). This initiative brings together a range of national programmes to address educational disadvantage throughout the school system.

The DEIS initiative includes the following programmes which provide supports to disadvantaged primary schools:

Disadvantaged Areas Scheme

Three hundred and ten (310) primary schools have been designated as disadvantaged. This means that they receive a greater level of support in terms of pupil-teacher ratios, special grants and extra support for pupils. Currently the maximum class size for disadvantaged schools is 15 pupils per senior class and 20 per primary class. There is more information about the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme.

Giving Children an Even Break

Giving Children an Even Break by Tackling Disadvantage is a scheme introduced by the Department in 2001 to tackle educational disadvantage in primary schools. Under this initiative, participating schools are provided with extra teaching and financial resources so that their pupils can take advantage of quality education no matter what their social or economic circumstances.

A special grant of €63.49 per pupil is paid, according to the percentage of disadvantaged pupils per school. Schools will receive a minimum payment of €952.30.
Schools in urban areas (populations of more than 1,500 people) which have the highest concentrations of pupils at risk of educational failure may be eligible for additional teaching posts. This is in order to establish a maximum pupil/teacher ratio of 20:1 in all junior classes and of 27:1 in all senior classes.
In rural areas, schools with the highest concentrations of pupils at risk of educational failure are allocated a teacher/co-ordinator. This person deals with clusters of 4 or 5 schools and works with teachers, pupils and parents. Schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantaged pupils that cannot be clustered with other schools with similarly high levels of need receive appropriate financial support as an alternative to teacher/co-ordinator support.

Home School Community Liaison Scheme

The Home School Community Liaison Scheme was established in 1991. It aims to improve co-operation between home, schools and communities to advance the educational interests of disadvantaged children.

School Completion Programme

The School Completion Programme focuses on young people between the ages of 4 and 18 years. The programme, which was introduced in 2002, includes the ‘8 to 15 Early School Leaver Initiative’ and the ‘Stay in School’ Retention Initiative. It aims to help students from disadvantaged areas stay in school.

School Meals Programme

The School Meals Programme is a separate programme funded by the Department of Social Protection and local authorities. It aims to supplement the diets of school-going children from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them fulfil their potential within the educational system and to reduce the risk of early school leaving. There are two schemes.
The Urban Scheme supports school meals for primary schools in urban areas. This programme consists of daily sandwiches or buns and milk. The scheme is not a replacement for home meals.

The Local Projects Scheme gives funding directly to national and secondary schools, local groups and voluntary organisations, which operate their own school meals projects (the meals may be hot or cold). In 2004 the scheme was extended to nursery schools catering for disadvantaged pre-school children. These meals must be targeted at areas of disadvantage or at children with special needs. Funding is allocated on the basis of a rate per meal per child.

School Milk Scheme

The School Milk Scheme entitles schoolgoing children to a quarter litre of milk on each school day. Pre-schools, primary and second-level schools are eligible for the Scheme, which is funded by the EU and the Irish Government. Crèches and other childminding concerns which are operated for commercial gain are not eligible under the rules of the Scheme.