Written Answers. - Parliamentary Debates - Houses of the Oireachtas

Questions— 14 February 2012. Written Answers
The phasing of these measures can provide the schools concerned with time to consider the
potential for amalgamation with other schools where this is feasible. If amalgamations take
place, they will be voluntary and follow decisions taken by local communities and not by
my Department.
Disadvantaged Status
203. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the rationale behind
the decision to strip a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24 of its DEIS band 2 status and that
in view of the social and economic demographics of the school’s catchment area, and the large
percentage of children attending the school from low income families, if consideration will be
given to reversing the decision to revoke the school’s DEIS status. [7662/12]
Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): DEIS (Delivering Equality of
Opportunity in Schools) provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage
and an integrated School Support Programme (SSP). The process of identifying schools
for participation in DEIS, was managed by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf
of my Department and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department’s
regional offices and the Inspectorate.
The school to which the Deputy refers was among a number of schools that was judged by
an independent identification process in 2005 not to have a sufficient level of disadvantage
among their pupils to warrant their inclusion in DEIS.
A review mechanism was put in place in 2006 to address the concerns of schools that did not
qualify for inclusion in DEIS but regarded themselves as having a level of disadvantage which
was of a scale sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the programme. There was no application
for review received from the school referred to by the Deputy.
The current economic climate and the challenge to meet significant targets on reducing public
expenditure limits opportunities and means that there is no capacity to provide for additionality
to the DEIS programme.
Question No. 204 answered with Question No. 201.
Schools Building Projects
205. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will actively
support the completion of the junior and senior schools (details supplied) in Dublin 3.
[7685/12]
Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): The project for the school to which
the Deputy refers, commenced construction in February 2011. It is anticipated that the project
will be complete in quarter 3 of 2012.
School Enrolment
206. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review a
matter in respect of a person (details supplied). [7686/12]
250. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding
a school placement in respect of a child (details supplied) in Dublin 15. [8225/12]
Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): I propose to take Questions Nos.
206 and 250 together.
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