DEIS SCHOOLS PLAN SUCCEEDING IN RAISING EQUALITY IN EDUCATION - KENNY

Posted on December 16, 2013 4:10 PM   |   Permanent Link   

Dublin Bay North Labour TD Sean Kenny has said he pleased that a research seminar on DEIS schools is to take place in the Spring of 2014 and welcomed the latest research findings on DEIS primary schools.

"The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., has welcomed the latest research findings on how pupils in DEIS primary schools are performing in reading and maths, and I would like to join him in that. The Educational Research Centre in a report that examines changes in pupil achievement in urban primary schools between 2007 and 2013 has found that test scores in DEIS primary schools at all grade levels have increased significantly."

"The seminar in the Spring will bring together those involved in the DEIS programme as well as other educationalists and policy makers and give them the opportunity to discuss the findings of the report. This is an excellent opportunity to shape public policy in the area of education."

"The main findings in the report are that test scores at all grade levels where testing took place increased significantly between the 2007 and follow-up testing in 2010. The most recent round of testing in spring of 2013 indicated that, not only were the initial gains maintained, they were built on between 2010 and 2013. Gains are particularly evident in the junior grades and in schools that have high levels of disadvantage. Levels of pupil absence has also fallen from 10.8% in 2007 to 7.1% in 2013."

"This is excellent news, as it shows there is a real benefit to the DEIS scheme. It is helping pupils from less advantaged backgrounds to do as well as pupils from more advantaged backgrounds and proves that the significant investment that we make in these schools is paying off and pupils' reading and mathematics test scores are consistently improving."

"I want to pay tribute to the schools, teachers, parents who work so hard for the children in their communities. I especially want to congratulate the children for all of their hard work in school."