School completion initiative under threat from lack of funding

A hugely successful school completion initiative in Navan which has dramatically reduced absenteeism is under threat from lack of funding.

 A pilot initiative run by Flexibus, which sees 54 students from the outskirts of Navan brought by bus to school in Beaufort College each day, has  halved the rate of absenteeism and brought attendance up to 94 per cent in the group of students involved.

A warning has now been issued that if the service is shelved, it will destroy the future of a certain percentage of students from the most disadvantaged areas of Navan.

At a meeting of Navan Municipal District Council last week, Christina Nestor, Navan School Completion Co Ordinator said the initiative sees the pupils in question brought to school in time for Breakfast club and returning them home after homework club. They also get their lunch at school.

Students in that area had the biggest non attendance record, before the initiative began.

"What we had been seeing was children coming to school hungry, lacking in concentration, tired and wet from from walking."

"The parents we work with don't have transport to bring the children to school. It is a 55 minute walk and children were tired and wet and there was a lack of concentration.

"We looked at cycling, but if there isn't somebody at home to fix a puncture for you, that is the end of that."

The transport initiative was introduced for the 2017 school year and now sees three 18 seater buses bringing the young people to school in time for breakfast club and home after homework club.

In the past student attendance in the area had been very poor - absenteeism  was 19.8 per cent, there were problems with punctuality, referrals to the educational welfare office, no student had full attendance records and there were students who didn't go to secondary school at all and others who didn't progress from 1st year to second year.

Since the introduction here has been full transfer of students from primary school to secondary school , 100 per cent transfer from first year to second year, absenteeism has been halved and there are eight students this year with full attendance records.

Jenny Darcy  project worker with the school completion programme said the pupils were engaging in school and their parents were also showing a clear commitment. 

"The initiative has halved the absenteeism rate. We now have 94 per cent attendance. No other initiative in the country has done that."

Councillors were told that funding for the project, which costs €37,000 per annum annually, were one off grants from sources such as the National Lottery, the National Transport Authority and Tusla, which would no longer be available. 

Ms Nestor asked them to put pressure on TDs for funding and to try and identify other funding streams that could support the programme.

She pointed out that if they were in any other county, they would be able to afford the initiative, ast Meath receives the lowest funding under the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme of any county at just €392,609, while Louth receives €1.3million.

Cllr Tommy Reilly said the council had no funding for this type of project but proposed they call together the county's seven Oireachtas members to discuss it.

Cllr Sinead Burke said she was chair of SICAP and she would talk to Ms Darcy and with Pobal to see if there was any "wriggle room".