Disadvantage: the strategies to end the cycle

WAYS of combating educational disadvantage have been identified by Government working group. They include interventions which continue from pre-school up to third-level; an expansion of the home-school community liaison scheme and the school psychological service; initiatives to tackle truancy; an evaluation of remedial teaching; and integration of Travellers and pupils with disabilities into mainstream education.

The working group is one of five established to develop the key themes - educational disadvantage, employment, income inadequacy, disadvantaged urban areas and rural deprivation - of a national anti-poverty strategy (NAPS). Half of the submissions received in the first phase of NAPS development cited education as a priority area.

Fighting disadvantage requires "co-ordination of national policies in education, health, social welfare, justice, enterprise and employment and finance, along with meaningful partnerships between schools and communities," the document says.

Under-achievement at school is defined as failure to fulfil potential or to make individual progress, early school-leaving or leaving with inadequate qualifications. The likely results include unemployment, welfare dependence, accommodation difficulties and health problems on one level and, in some cases, crime and drug addiction.

The NAPS document cites the ESRI 1995 School Leavers Survey which highlights the links between educational qualifications and employment, earnings and future training. Poor housing, ill-health, dysfunctional community or family backgrounds, ineffective parenting and a lack of parental regard for the values of education play a large part in creating educational disadvantage.

"Education systems and institutions need to be acutely aware of the need to take account of the cultural values of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds rather than reinforcing values which alienate," the draft report warns.

Early intervention can help combat disadvantages. Priority should be given to actions aimed at the prevention of school failure. Interventions should be implemented "at the earliest possible age before societal influences come to play a more dominant role".

The report recommends the expansion of the Early Start initiative on an ongoing basis, since pre-school education plays an important role in a child's educational development in later years and has the added benefit of involving parents in its organisation. However, the draft also recommends consultation with the Department of Health and local community interests "in order to maximise the coverage of pre-schooling in designated areas of disadvantage".

Critics of Early Start say that it has failed to involve parents sufficiently and that locally-based playgroups, which have suffered in some areas since Early Start was introduced, are doing a better job in this regard.

A carefully designed school plan, worked out with teachers, parents, pupils and management which affords educational achievement for all pupils is vital. This plan must include monitoring, attendance, literacy and numeracy skills, early remedial work on learning difficulties, extra-curricular activities, more parental and community involvement in school and links to ensure successful transition to post-primary schools or to further education. The report recognises the pivotal role of the school principal.

Training for teachers is vital to whole school development and must focus on team development, self-evaluation and quality and effectiveness review together with communication, partnership and group-work skills. In order to address learning difficulties teachers need to be open to curriculum change and a range of methodologies.

The draft recommends expansion of the home-school liaison scheme and additional personnel to work with school staff, parents and community agencies. It also calls for links with third-level colleges to encourage greater participation at third level by pupils from disadvantaged areas. Links with Youthreach and the area-based partnerships are also urged.

Initiatives to integrate Travellers into mainstream education include admission policies for Travellers and a target to enrol all Traveller children of primary school age into full-time education within five years. The report recommends modules on Traveller culture in teachers' in-career and pre-service development programmes but it makes no mention of initiatives to increase pupil awareness of this culture and those of other ethnic minorities.

The report calls for greater emphasis on second-chance education and training for early school-leavers - this to be community-based and aimed at promoting social inclusion and empowerment. The expansion of a range of training initiatives including Youthreach and VTOS is recommended along with a national system of flexible third-level admission criteria for mature students.

The NAPS report predicts that the regional education boards proposed in the White Paper will play a key role in the fight against disadvantage. "At present effective community interaction is hampered by the lack of a co-ordinating intermediate tier to interface between individual schools and the Department of Education," the report says.