About SMILE School Completion Programme CLG

Background to the School Completion Programme

The School Completion Programme (SCP) is a Department of Education initiative aimed at reducing the number of young people who leave school early. This is achieved in a number of ways utilising a range of innovative, creative as well as tried and tested interventions. What makes the School Completion Programme model unique is its ‘Bottom – up’ approach, which allows Local Management Committees (school based, community, statutory and voluntary interests) to put together plans and supports that target the needs of local young people at risk of leaving school early.

The School Completion Programme was introduced nationwide setting up 17 projects on a pilot basis in 1999. This saw the merging two previous initiatives; the 8-15 Early School Leaver Initiative and the “Stay in School” retention initiative. This is a key component of the Department’s strategy to discriminate positively in favour of children and young people who are at risk or who are experiencing educational disadvantage. The programme focuses on young people between the ages of 4 and 18 years. It aims to develop strategies to ensure maximum participation levels in the process.

School Completion Programme is now part of TESS (Tusla Education Support Services) which includes the Education Welfare Servce (EWS) and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL). TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention.  The three TESS strands work together collaboratively with schools, families and other relevant services to achieve the best educational outcomes for children and young people.

St Munchins and Moyross Initiative for Learning and Education (SMILE) –  Limerick Northside SCP

Mission Statement of SMILE SCP CLG

To give young people who are at risk of early school leaving and their families a positive experience of learning for life in and out of school and to encourage them to have the incentive and motivation to remain in and benefit from the education system.

SMILE SCP was one of the initial 17 school completion programmes set up and started out catering to four schools in the region – Edmund Rice College, St Munchin‘s Boys CBS Primary School and Salesian’s Primary & Secondary Schools. In 2004, that number expanded to include St. Nessan’s Community College, and further again in 2005 when Corpus Christi Primary, Ballynanty Girls and St. Lelia’s junior school joined the initiative. In 2015, St. Lelia’s Junior School, St Munchin’s Girls and St. Munchin’s Boys amalgamated to form Thomond Primary School, whilst in 2016, St. Nessan’s Community College and Salesian’s Secondary also amalgamated to form Thomond Community College. The DEIS expansion in 2022 brought an additional two primary schools into SMILE SCP’s cluster; Christ the King and Mary Queen of Ireland, both based in Caherdavin, Limerick.

At present, SMILE SCP works with six schools (5 primary and 1 post-primary) based in the northside of the city. Through linking with the school staff, SMILE SCP looks to help students to stay in school. The role of the staff is inherently supportive and not that of discipline. 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 peoples lives. While education is a vital component in the answer to educational disadvantage, it is only in tandem with clearly identified actions by local statutory and voluntary services that the wider issues of socioeconomic disadvantage and appropriate prevention and support strategies can be effective. All actions, both preventive and supportive, must include actions that respond to children’s and young people’s needs. 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 of target students
  • Homework Clubs
  • After School Supports
  • Behavioural Support Programmes
  • Inter Agency School Support Programmes
  • Revision Tuition
  • Transfer Programmes from primary school to secondary school and from junior cycle to senior cycle
  • Holiday Provision (Summer Camps)

The evidence based and evidence informed programmes we offer are:

  • Roots of Empathy
  • Mentoring for acheivement (MAP)
  • Botvin LifeSkills
  • The Decider Lifeskills
  • Doodle Den
  • Rainbows

Other programmes include:

  • Real U
  • Ignite
  • Motivational Interviewing

Various supports are offered and can be viewed more thoroughly in the Programme/Support section of the website.  Programme supports are regularly evaluated and reviewed with school staff to ensure best practice and aims and objectives are being achieved. The following link will offer more information the national School Completion Programme

https://www.tusla.ie/services/educational-welfare-services/scp/

Leave a comment