A group of 70 parents from the Darndale/Priorswood area of north Dublin were among those awarded certificates by the NCIR at a graduation ceremony in Dublin last week. The certificates were presented for the successful completion of an 18-week course on parents in education. This course forms part of the Challenger Programme, a northside community education initiative which aims to keep children from difficult social backgrounds in school as long as possible.

The programme targets sixth-class students with the ability to do well in an academic environment and invites their parents to become involved in their children's education. Participating parents attend the NCIR-run course and learn about ways of supporting their children's educational development.

The initiative, partly sponsored by the Northside Partnership, involves 30 students from St Francis' Senior School in Priorswood and Our Lady Immaculate School in Darndale.

Co-ordinators of the programme are teachers Donal Boyle and Noel Kelly who have so far successfully shepherded three groups of students and parents through the programme. "The idea was to look at doing something for the good kids - the ones who have the potential to do well within the education system with a little bit of direction and help," says Boyle. "Often they get left to get on with things on their own because so much time and resources go into sorting out the weaker children and those creating problems."

The parents course is one side of the initiative and there are activities programmes for both parents and children including computer classes, trips to museums and the theatre and visits to a third-level campus. "We want to help the kids to maximise their potential and to realise their educational goal," says Boyle.

"For some that may be to get as far as Junior Cert or Leaving Cert, for others it may be to go to college. Our aim is to get them there and to work with their parents to provide whatever assistance we can along the way."

They hope to have a study centre up and running within six months. "We're hoping that adults who have gone to college with support from the Northside Partnership will act as role models and mentors for the kids as they move through the system."