Speech by Minister Pat Carey at the Launch of the Ballymun School Attendance Community Action Initiative
Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It is a pleasure to be here this morning to launch thethe Ballymun School AttendanceCommunity Action Initiative.
Firstly, I would like to thank the Board of Ballymun Whitehall Area Partnership for inviting me here today, and also for organising the conference which I know is a huge task.
I would also like to thank all the various speakers here and having looked at the programme for the day ahead I am in no doubt that you will have an extremely interesting morning. I have no doubt that you will gain invaluable insights that you will be able to take back to your schools.
For our community, education is an invaluable resource in addressing the causes of social exclusion, promoting good citizenship, enriching culture and encouraging economic development.
For each child, education has a real impact on many aspects of life including personal development, participation in society and employment prospects.
I believe that regular school attendance is critical to enhance opportunities and attainment for every child.
It has long been recognised that prevention is essential and strategies designed to promote attendance are an important preventative feature to help improve outcomes for every child.
The Government has put in place a series of measures and organisations to support schools, families and young people, especially in relation to regular school attendance.
There has been significant investment in the DEIS Initiative in recent years which provides targeted support for children in schools with disadvantaged status.
The range of extra supports now in place include both educational initiatives, such as intensive literacy and numeracy programmes, and the provision of breakfast and homework clubs.
These initiatives are aimed at supporting children from pre-school through to second level and encourage them to stay in school, where possible to get their Leaving Cert and to give themselves the option of going on to do either a further or higher education course; either straight after school or to return to education in the future.
In addition, curriculum reforms such as the Junior Cert School Programme and Leaving Cert Applied are now offering variety to young people and encouraging more of them to continue their participation in school.
The National Educational Welfare Board and other services under its’ remit, the Home School Community Liaison Scheme and the School Completion Programme, are supporting schools, families and children to ensure that attendance is highlighted as vital in ensuring that each child can fully engage in their school.
Last year the NEWB circulated the first national Guidelines for School Codes of Behaviour following a full and comprehensive consultation process with all education partners. The Guidelines will focus on how schools can deal progressively and inclusively with behavioural issues, thereby helping to support participation in education for all.
It is important that we get the message across to parents and children that every single day spent in school is important.
The Government has – and is – taking concrete measures to retain children in schools. This will benefit the students, their families, their communities and the wider society in general.
Todays Conference will help to inform us on how best to achieve the goal of increased school attendance and I wish you well in your discussions.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.