Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this. As he rightly points out, the new action plan for educational inclusion will be published in the coming weeks. This follows a detailed review of all aspects of the so-called DEIS programme, including the range and impact of different elements of the school support programme, the potential for innovation within and between schools, and its scope for increased integration of services provided by other Departments and agencies, in order to improve effectiveness.

The development of a new assessment framework using centrally held CSO and departmental data for the identification of schools for inclusion in a new programme is also included in the review process.  Implementation of actions arising from the plan will begin in the 2017-18 school year.

The ESRI report referred to by the Deputy, entitled "Learning from the Evaluation of DEIS", was commissioned by my Department to inform the current DEIS review. It provides an overview of available information on the impact of DEIS supports for schools. The report considers a number of important aspects relating to current practice in DEIS schools, including the potential to taper supports to schools and the need to continue to target more resources at urban band 1 schools. This report, together with the wide-ranging consultation conducted, will inform the final measures adopted under the new plan for educational inclusion.

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