Galway City East School Completion Programme
Galway City East School Completion Programme
The School Completion Programme (SCP) is a Department of Education and Science programme that aims to have a significant positive impact on levels of pupil retention in primary and second level schools and on numbers of pupils who successfully complete the Senior Cycle. The Programme is funded under the National Development Plan (NDP). The School Completion Programme aims to examine the interrelated factors which impact on early school leaving and to encourage inter-agency involvement to address the issue.
Inter-Agency Approach
A wide variety of home, community and school based factors can contribute to low school attainment and early school leaving. Consequently, strategies designed to address the needs of young people at risk must include a range of actions that have a positive impact on those aspects of young people’s lives. As such, an inter-agency approach to the issue of early school leaving is an essential element of the Galway City East School Completion Programme. Services that SCP staff regularly link with include: the Educational Welfare Board, community based youth services operated by the Health Service Executive and Foróige, Family Support Services, the Gardai, Social Work Department, Youth Advocate Programme, After Schools Projects and the St. Vincent de Paul. This approach enables those involved to devise focused and targeted integrated plans in the holistic support of young people at risk.
Programme Aims
It is the primary aim of the programme to develop a framework through which schools, families, pupils, community organisations and state bodies will effectively work together to:
- Decrease the risk of educational disadvantage.
- Improve retention in the formal school system.
- Ensure that the pupils will benefit from a needs, strengths, skills based curriculum, which will cater for multiple intelligences and individual styles. This will include academic, artistic, recreational, psychological and family support interventions.
Programme Operation
Galway City East School Completion Programme targets those most at risk of early school leaving and puts supports in place to help them to stay in school. Supports include in school, after school and holiday time activities, which are designed to make school more relevant, meaningful and attractive to those most at risk. Galway City East School Completion Programme currently operates in seven schools on the Eastside of Galway City, six primary and one post-primary. The Programme employs four full-time and four part-time staff at present. The work of the School Completion Programme is diverse and includes:
- Individual support, both educational and emotional, for young people experiencing difficulties at school.
- Monitoring attendance and tracking students.
- Big Brother Big Sister Mentoring Programme
- Incredible Years Dina School Programme.
- Homework Clubs.
- After School Study Facility.
- Behavioural Support Programmes.
- Inter Agency School Support Programmes.
- Revision Tuition.
- Transfer Programmes.
- Summer Activity Programmes.
- Lunchtime Clubs.
The supports currently in operation are proving to be very successful and feedback from schools, young people and parents has been very positive. Programme supports are regularly evaluated and reviewed with school staff, to ensure best practice and that aims and objectives are being achieved. For further information on the School Completion Programme visit the Department of Education & Science website by clicking here
