When we think of educational disadvantage, it is usually images of run-down schools in sprawling urban areas that come to mind. Children in small rural schools, on the other hand, are regarded as fortunate. However, the dividing line may not be so clear, as a pilot project being run in Co Sligo is demonstrating.
The Whole School Programme, being run by the Sligo Leader Partnership Company, has set out over the past year to help children in rural primary schools by broadening and enriching the curriculum being offered.
Five rural schools are taking part in the scheme, which involves everything from classes for parents on how to help children with homework, to music and drama classes and day-trips for children. There has also been an effort to help parents with literacy problems, and in one school with a high proportion of Traveller children, special emphasis has been placed on involving their parents in school activities.
In applying to take part in the scheme, the schools had to demonstrate significant levels of educational disadvantage. The five selected vary from larger primary schools in Ballymote and Tubber curry to small two-teacher schools in nearby villages in south Co Sligo.
Across the five schools, the percentage of families with a medical card ranged from 47 per cent to 66 per cent. The percentage of families dependent on unemployment payments ranged from 20 per cent to 64 per cent and the incidence of one-parent families was between 5 per cent and 17 per cent.
A full-time co-ordinator on the programme, Ms Bernadette Dwyer, said that social and economic disadvantage in the wider community was reflected in the schools, as it was in every area, either urban or rural.
The Whole School Programme takes the approach of involving all the children in the school, rather than singling out those who are having particular problems, as this could add to any stigma already there.
A special emphasis has been placed on involving parents. Ms Dwyer, who ran a course for parents over six nights, said the problem was that many people felt unable to help their children with homework.
"People say they don't know how to approach it - with different methods and curricula, they felt maybe they shouldn't interfere at all. But they are delighted with any help they can get, and sometimes it's even down to a simple thing like making sure the TV is turned off," she said.
One parent who attended these guidance nights, Mr Neil Mongey, agreed. "It's a matter of talking to the child and giving them input into what they are going to do with their time, but also setting time for homework. A lot of it is about planning and making sure things are structured," he said.
The work with parents has led to some interesting offshoots. "Parents were saying that there was no point talking about children's self-esteem when they hadn't got any themselves," Ms Dwyer explained. As a result, a leading educational psychologist was employed to give a day-long seminar for parents.
In the programme it also emerged that dyslexia was a problem and an association has now been established to provide support and guidance for parents.
The total cost of the scheme is £100,000 and more than two-thirds of this has been provided by the EU's peace and reconciliation fund, which Sligo is eligible for as a Border county.
This extra funding has meant a wider curriculum for pupils with specialist teachers being brought in for music, art and drama, extra resources, outings, and two co-ordinators who help and advise parents and teachers.
The evaluation research officer with Sligo Leader Partnership, Mr John Magee, says the emphasis is on dealing with "the whole child" and the programme's basic tenets include involving parents, homework support, helping pupils make the transition from primary to secondary level and monitoring and evaluation.
Last month, the Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Mr Chris Flood, presented certificates to over 200 parents and teachers taking part in the scheme.
Funding has been secured for the project until October 2000 and assessment is being carried out by the teachers, who keep profiles of the pupils. Mr Magee says there is already an obvious difference in the classrooms.