Schools’ chief fears vital social funds may be lost

SCHOOLS in poorer areas which previously got extra help to keep students in education are in danger of becoming victims of their own success, a management leader has warned.

Sean McCann, general secretary of the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools (ACCS), believes up to 20 schools in the sector which were designated as disadvantaged have been excluded from the Department of Education’s school support programme.

The programme is part of Education Minister Mary Hanafin’s DEIS social inclusion plan aimed at tackling educational disadvantage, with 840 primary and second-level schools chosen last month to benefit from extra staff and resources.