New ESRI Research Highlights the Importance of Early Intervention and Flexibility of Supports in Preventing Early School Leaving

A new research report, ‘Review of the School Completion Programme’, was published today by the ESRI. The School Completion Programme (SCP) is a school-based programme which provides in-school and out-of-school supports for children and young people at risk of disengagement and early school leaving. Undertaken for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the report draws on a survey of, and in-depth interviews with, SCP personnel, school principals and education stakeholders, providing an in-depth examination of the operation of the programme to guide policy in this area. What does SCP provide?

• SCP is organised in terms of 124 ‘clusters’ (also called ‘projects’) consisting of a group of primary and second-level schools within a local area. While the schools involved in SCP clusters are mainly DEIS (designated disadvantaged) schools, some non-DEIS schools are part of SCP clusters, reflecting patterns of transfer between local schools.
• The programme supports approximately 36,000 children and young people within the school system and around 800 young people who are out of school. Funding for SCP was €24.7 million in 2014.
• The interventions provided by SCP fall into three complementary categories of provision: attendance monitoring involving both in-school and after-school support; socio-emotional wellbeing through in-school support and therapeutic interventions; and learning support through in-school interventions and study support. Clusters have the flexibility to tailor provision towards the needs of children and young people in their local area and within specific schools in that area.
• Many clusters provide some activities, such as afterschool clubs, for a larger number of students while providing more intensive one-to-one supports for a small number. At present, there is a greater emphasis on in-school supports but SCP staff would prefer to balance this with more after-school and holiday provision.

Who takes part in SCP?

• Clusters use a range of criteria to select target children and young people for the programme but mainly focus on school attendance, the child’s family circumstances, and their socio-emotional health and wellbeing.
• Clusters vary in the proportion of students who are targeted for supports within schools. Given the diversity of need across cluster schools, it is recommended that the number of children targeted should reflect the concentration of disadvantage in schools.

Funding and governance

• Cuts in SCP expenditure have meant reduced provision in the context of growing needs among children and families and curtailed service supports within and outside school as a result of the recession. Reduced provision has particularly affected after-school and holiday provision, which are seen as key in engaging children with school. Of particular concern to school principals are cuts to one-to-one counselling and therapeutic interventions for children in crisis situations.
• There is a case for rebalancing, and even increasing, funding for schools with high levels of disadvantage and complex student needs, that is, urban band 1 DEIS primary schools and very disadvantaged second-level schools.
• The legal structures within which SCP operates vary across clusters, resulting in different employment arrangements and management structures. The report highlights the value of having a clear and transparent governance model across all clusters, providing clarity regarding the roles and responsibilities of the coordinator, chairperson and local management committee.

 SCP structures

• Clusters vary in size and composition, that is, in the balance between primary and second-level schools and between DEIS and non-DEIS schools. In some areas, children move from primary schools with intensive SCP supports to non-DEIS second-level schools without such supports, increasing their risk of disengagement and early school leaving. It is recommended that cluster boundaries be revisited to better reflect local neighbourhoods and school communities and provide greater continuity of support as students move though the system.
• SCP is a central component of DEIS provision, with coordinators working closely with Home School Community Liaison Coordinators in providing supports for at-risk young people and their families. It is therefore crucial that any changes in SCP structures and provision be seen in the context of the on-going review of the broader DEIS programme.

 Assessing SCP

• A positive impact? Since the inception of SCP, there has been an improvement in primary attendance levels and in the proportion of young people staying in school until the Leaving Certificate. While these trends cannot be attributed to SCP alone, SCP, along with other strands of DEIS provision, has played an important role. It is difficult to assess the definitive impact of SCP on other child outcomes, such as engagement with school and socio-emotional wellbeing. However, school principals are generally very positive about the impact of the programme on at-risk children and young people in their school.
• Importance of early tailored intervention There is a consensus among school principals and education stakeholders that the value of SCP rests in its emphasis on addressing the needs of at-risk children at an early stage and in its flexibility to respond to local needs at the school and community level. School principals also highlight the benefits of SCP in providing immediate and effective supports (such as counselling) for children in crisis.

Report author Prof. Emer Smyth said: ‘Schools have the capacity to identify at-risk children and young people before they come to the attention of other services. This report highlights the value of providing comprehensive school-based supports for disadvantaged children and young people and the need to put such supports on a sustainable footing.’ Welcoming the report Gordon Jeyes, Chief Executive, Tusla, said: ‘Tusla’s work is about ensuring that all possible supports are available to ensure that children achieve their full potential. Education is a key strand of our Corporate Plan, children attending, participating, achieving. Inclusive schools are a vital part of successful early intervention. This report points to the excellent work being done by all those involved with SCP in promoting attendance, retention and participation. Tusla is committed to embedding the programme as a significant part of its welfare programme and to improving governance and leadership for SCP at all levels'.