Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I note the Deputy's concerns. The extension of the DEIS programme progresses the programme for Government commitment to complete the new DEIS identification model and to extend DEIS status to schools serving the highest concentration of pupils at risk of educational disadvantage. The concentration is the issue. The recent expansion will add an additional €32 million to the Department's expenditure on the DEIS programme for 2023, bringing the overall Department of Education allocation for 2023 to €180 million. I am very conscious of the benefits of the DEIS programme, as has been articulated. Analysis has shown that since the programme began in 2006, it has helped to close the gap in achievement between schools serving the highest levels of educational disadvantage and those serving populations with little or no disadvantage. However, I recognise there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools, not just DEIS schools and therefore under budget 2023, I secured funding for a number of measures that will support all children in this regard. This includes over €50 million to provide, as a permanent initiative, free books for all students in primary schools. I have also further improved the staffing schedule for primary schools to a ratio of 23:1, the lowest it has ever been, to benefit all schools. It is also important to note that the extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one phase of work in my vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. The next phase of work will explore the allocation of resources to schools to tackle educational disadvantage. This will consider all schools within and outside the DEIS programme. Part of this scheme of work will involve consultation with all relevant stakeholders.

I want to be clear on this point. Where a school does not achieve DEIS status, it does not mean that educational disadvantage does not exist but that the concentration of educational disadvantage between two schools is different. Unless there is a 100% reflection of the same students in each school, then both schools will be different. The issue here is not educational disadvantage but the concentration of it in one school over another. The system is open and fair. It uses the HP deprivation index with two additional weights for children who come from a background where there is homelessness, or children from a Traveller or Roma backgrounds.

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