Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The underlying criteria for participation in DEIS is a school's relative level of disadvantage against all other schools therefore those schools with the highest concentration of disadvantage were selected for participation in the DEIS programme. The identification process for DEIS was in line with international best practice and had regard to, and employed, the existing and most appropriate data sources available. It was managed by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf of the Department and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's Regional Offices and the Inspectorate. The choice of variables included in the assessment of disadvantage was guided by the definition of disadvantage in the Education Act, (1998) which refers both to learning outcomes and to social and economic factors.

In the primary sector the identification of primary schools, for participation in DEIS, was based on analysis of a survey, carried out by the ERC, of all primary schools. In the case of second-level schools, analysis of centrally-held data from the Post-Primary Pupils Database and the State Examinations Commission databases determined the identification of post-primary schools for participation in DEIS. There are no measures, within the programme, to remove schools from DEIS.

A key priority for my Department is to prioritise and target resources in schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. To this end resources in DEIS schools have been protected, with no overall changes to DEIS-related staffing levels or DEIS funding in 2013. That challenge is significant, given the current economic climate and the target to reduce public expenditure. This limits the capacity for any additionally to the DEIS programme.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The majority of schools include among their pupils children with disadvantaged backgrounds, and in general schools address the individual needs of these children without recourse to additional targeted resources. Research carried out by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) for the Educational Disadvantage Committee found strong evidence for the proposition that the disadvantage associated with poverty and social exclusion assumes a multiplier effect when large numbers of pupils in a school are from a similar disadvantaged background (the "social context effect").

It is this principle that underpins the approach taken under DEIS "Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools" the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion which focuses on addressing the educational needs of children and young people from the most disadvantaged communities. Schools were identified for inclusion in DEIS by virtue of their identified level of disadvantage which was based on the concentration of disadvantaged pupils enrolled in individual schools. In the current economic climate the focus of my Department is to retain where possible key resources in those schools targeted under the DEIS programme supporting children most at risk of educational disadvantage.