Improving education outcomes for Children. The Government and social partners agree to work together for continued improvements in the standard and quality of education and to promote best practice in classrooms, schools, colleges and other centres for education. They agree to prioritise the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities by supporting schools and their communities to achieve equality in terms of educational participation and outcomes in line with national norms. This will include: • Adopting a more focussed approach and putting in place a range of additional supports under XXXX to tackle literacy and numeracy problems in primary schools. Targets will be put in place at both national and individual school level to substantially reduce the literacy and numeracy problems in schools serving disadvantaged communities. Additional literacy supports, under XXXX, will also be targeted at junior cycle students. • To help further address absenteeism, early school leaving, behavioural problems and special needs an additional 100 posts in total will be provided for the National Educational Welfare Board and the National Educational Psychological Service by 2009. • There will continue to be flexible responses to meeting the needs of those young people who leave the formal education system early through second chance education measures such as Youthreach where a significant increase of an additional 1,000 places will be provided by 2009 and the opportunities created for recognition of learning through the national framework of qualifications. • Protocols will be developed and put in place to ensure co-operation and mutual support among those working to improve attendance and retention in schools. XXXX provides that the National Educational Welfare Board and the Department will work together to ensure that an integrated approach to children at risk is adopted between educational welfare officers and other staff involved in the implementation of the new School Support Programme. • The Education Act 1998 provides for school boards to publish their admission policies. Legislative and other provisions in relation to admission will be kept under regular review in the context of the ten year framework agreement, with a view to fostering an inclusive school environment. • Future provision of schools will reflect the increasingly diverse nature of pupil enrolment in response to the local demand and in conformity with the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 and with establi...
